She asked to borrow money, but didn’t want to say what the money was for.

When you’ve known someone for a while, it’s easy to tell when something’s off.

Here’s the story: We got into a bike accident. I was fine, but she broke her arm. The doctor gave her pills to ease the pain. She’s okay now, but she told me that she didn’t stop taking the pills. She couldn’t stop, she said. I was shocked and didn’t know what to say.

When someone’s addicted, they do everything they can to get their fix. They don’t think about whether their actions will harm themselves, or other people. Like lying, stealing or borrowing money when they know they can’t pay it back.

How does someone get addicted? Little by little, until they grow dependent on whatever drug they take. Your friend may think or behave differently now, not the way he/she used to, and could even grow distant and shut you out.

Like a sick person, people with a drug addiction need understanding, help and love.

I spoke with my friend. I told her that I wouldn’t lend her any money if she was going to use it for something bad. But I was there for her if she needed someone to talk to. She got so angry, she blew up at me and walked out.

I was sixteen when this happened. She asked me to come with her to the doctor, and since then, she has been able to overcome her addiction. It required a lot of patience and love by her family and friends to help her.

Just like this friend of mine, if you know of someone struggling with drugs, identify someone older who can be trusted, like a teacher or parent, ask them for help about this problem.

When someone gets addicted, it shouldn’t be kept a secret. Sometimes, it’s hard to do the right thing, but if we truly care about our friends, we’ll do anything we can to help.