Rumak on the rehabilitation of drug addicts: it is important for a person to return to normal life

September 28, Baranovichi. It is important that a person undergoing rehabilitation after treatment for drug addiction return to a normal life. Alexander Rumak, Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, shared this opinion with journalists at an off-site meeting of the Consultative Interfaith Council under the Commissioner for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, BelTA informs.

"Today we went to the Slonim district, to the Anastasis Sosnovka Rehabilitation Center for Alcohol and Drug Addicts, and now we are visiting the Rehabilitation and Adaptation Department of the Baranovichi branch of the Return charitable and religious mission in order to see how the rehabilitation processes work on the ground. "Unfortunately, one of the negative phenomena of society is people's dependence on psychoactive substances, on alcohol. And the rehabilitation of drug addicts is a very important social problem. It is important that people return to normal life," Alexander Rumak stressed.

According to him, the rehabilitation of addicts is a complex work. "It includes social and medical rehabilitation carried out by healthcare institutions. The participation of clergy is very important, since the task is to return people to their personal and social status, to restore their social ties, including in families, so that people can recover from addiction, return to their families and continue to work,” said the Commissioner for Religious and National Affairs. “We use the potential of all religious organizations that are ready to participate in solving this problem together with state organizations. Both the Return mission and the Anastasis Sosnovka rehabilitation center - This is one of the leading rehabilitation centers in our republic."

Alexander Rumak noted the importance of cooperation between state bodies and churches in the work on the rehabilitation of drug addicts. "Everyone should take part in solving this problem: health care institutions, social services, and, of course, religious organizations. This interaction should be effective precisely in places where help is needed. That is why we have come today to see how the rehabilitation of drug addicts is carried out in Baranavichy," the Commissioner for Religious and National Affairs emphasized.

"Today it is important not just to sit in the classrooms of Minsk, to consider these issues, but to see how the rehabilitation of drug addicts takes place on the ground, so that representatives of various regions of our republic can see and be able to adopt this experience, implement it in their own country," summed up Alexander Rumak.

The council meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health, members of the Consultative Interfaith Council - heads of republican religious associations, representatives of religious organizations, as well as representatives of the main departments of ideological work and youth affairs, the main departments of health, departments of internal affairs and committees for labor, employment and social protection of the regional executive committees and the Minsk city executive committee.

Photo by Vitaly Pivovarchik