Srinagar, Dec. 22 -- As I handle more and more cases of addiction in Kashmir, I have come to realise something disturbing.

Honour, orizzat, once a guiding principle for families, is becoming the biggest casualty of the drug crisis.

In the name of preserving reputation, many households hide addiction, delay help, and allow suffering to grow in silence.

This crisis is majorly about fear, secrecy, and a culture where the preservation of appearances often outweighs the protection of life.

I see it every day in my work at a rehabilitation centre.

Young people rarely arrive when dependence first appears. They come when it has already destroyed education, work, relationships, and self-esteem.

Many carry a fatigue born of years spent hiding...