My name is Zsolt Széplaki, I am a social worker.I have been working as a helper in different areas of the social care system since 2009.Since 2015 I have been working as a case management mentor at Tinirehab in Ráckeresztúr. I feel fortunate to have been involved from the very beginning in this completely new professional process, working with adolescents addicted to drugs.

Problematic substance use and addiction is not part of my life journey, but growing up has not been an easy process for me either. In retrospect, my primary support was having strong peer relationships and having credible adults by my side who could listen and give me direction. I would like to be that kind of helper for the young people who come to me. The year I spent volunteering in the Amazon jungle of Peru with the local indigenous Indians was a defining time in my life. During this period I also gained a lot of experience, knowledge and self-awareness. I live in a family, my wife and I are raising our three children. I enjoy spending my free time in nature, hiking, exploring new landscapes and travelling.

My outlook

I believe that it is important for young people with substance abuse problems to find their sources of joy, their anchors and to realise how much value life has for them. Addiction can be understood as an escape from reality. It is worth looking for the reasons why the reality from which the substance abuser is compelled to escape is so oppressive. In working together, an important question is how to make reality more pleasurable and attractive than intoxication, an altered state of consciousness. I believe that the basis of helping work is an accepting, loving and supportive atmosphere. I believe that everyone has an inner resource. My role as a helper is to foster an atmosphere and a relationship in which the person who comes to me can find their own resources and experience the ability to activate them. Addiction cannot be seen as a problem for the individual alone, so to find a way out of it and to recover, it is also important to call on family and supportive relationships.