Interdepartmental meeting on social rehabilitation of addictstranslated

The Chairman of the Department for Combating Drug Addiction and Alcoholism of the Vyborg Diocese, Priest Alexander Semenov, took part in an interdepartmental meeting of representatives of the relevant committees of the Government of the Leningrad Region and social service specialists.

The meeting was devoted to the issues of social rehabilitation of citizens who are dependent on psychoactive substances. Particular attention at the meeting was paid to the practical experience of the Network of rehabilitation centers “Abode of Healing”. Today the Abode is the foundation on which the entire system of church assistance to addicts is built both in our region and, in many respects, in the country.

In a dialogue with representatives of the relevant committees of the government of the Leningrad region, the Leningrad regional drug treatment clinic and social protection centers, Father Alexander emphasized: The Church is the place where a person who finds himself in difficult circumstances receives not temporary help, but internal support and meaning that allows him to fundamentally change his life.

The experience of the Church accumulated at the Abode of Healing is a ready-made basis for such a partnership. The clergy are ready to share their expertise, provide platforms for resocialization and provide...