Julia, you have been working at the Rehab Center since 2003. And you yourself successfully completed drug therapy there. If someone had asked you 25 years ago what would become of your life, what would you have answered?

“Nothing at all will become of my life,” would have been my answer. At that point, I had already been addicted to drugs for eight years and knew that I couldn't break free. I realized that I would probably either die or end up in prison.

There is always a story behind addiction. What was yours?

I grew up in Svetlagorsk as the child of a single mother and did very well at school. But as a young woman, I knew that I couldn't cope with life. I was depressed by the lack of prospects. The obvious thing would have been to get married and have children. But was that all there was to life? This phase of my life coincided with the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the existing framework for orientation disappeared. Suddenly there was personal freedom, but I lacked the knowledge and resources to do anything meaningful with it. I felt very empty inside and was looking for something to fill that void. That was when I came into contact with drugs through a friend. My initial enjoyment of getting high developed into an addiction and the fear that I would no longer be able to cope with life without alcohol and drugs. I think that was the case for many of my generation. Only a few of my former friends are still alive today.

What brought about the turning point for you?

At work, a former rehab patient told me, “There is a way to live a different life.” And I was determined to get off drugs. So I started attending outpatient therapy, followed by inpatient therapy at the TOS Rehab Center. During the therapy process, I understood that it wasn't just about freedom from drug use, but also about healing inner wounds and traumas and changing harmful behavior. The Rehab Center is a Christian ministry. That's how I came to know God. That was crucial for my healing and paved the way for something new, because I know that despite everything, I am loved and can be who I am.

The prognosis you would have made for your life 25 years ago did not come true. What does your life actually look like today?

I am free from drugs and alcohol, I have inner peace, and my life is filled with meaning. You could say, “I am living the life I was born to live.” I have been working in rehab for 22 years now, and I am now the director. The drug addicts who come to us for therapy are treasures. Thanks to my own history, I can understand what is going on inside them and help them. It's not always easy, but I love this work and the Rehab Center. My wish is to continue to make full use of our rehab places so that more and more addicts can break out of the vicious circle of addiction, crime, and illness, and the drug rate continues to decline. To achieve this, it is also necessary for a new generation of young people to grow up as members of the team.

Julia, thank you very much for taking the time to share these insights with us.

The interview partner was Annegret Cornehl.

If you are interested in the work in Belarus, you can find more information here: https://tos-ministries.org/en/branches/rehab/contact-stage