REPORT FROM THE CONFERENCE

There is an ancient proverb that says every man is the artisan of his own future. For many of us it means we have to deal with the consequences of our own choices. But what if those consequences are so overwhelming so that one is not able to deal with them on his own? This was the subject of the conference devoted to helping the addicted.

Those who attended received very practical but at the same time unusually interesting knowledge of both how to help and also recognize those who were trapped in addiction to alcohol and other substances. Obviously, not all of the addicted will want our help. Not all of them will keep up their decision to transform their lifestyle. Yet we learnt how to help those who want our assistance. The main speaker, who had been helping the addicted for many years, shared with us a number of efficient methods placed in the biblical context, which for us, Christians, proved to be precious tools. He also encouraged us not to give in to discouragement and negative thoughts, because helping people and bringing hope to those that lost it is really worth it. A number of practical workshops made the conference even more interesting and helped us realise how big of problem alcoholism is.

Leaving the conference we felt encouraged and equipped for work. We thank Woody that he willingly endured all the inconveniences of his journey and devoted this time for us.