In the Bucak district of Burdur, southwestern Türkiye, M.B., who overcame a six-year addiction to drugs through treatment at the Green Crescent Counseling Center (YEDAM), now hopes to achieve his dream of becoming an academic.
The 36-year-old graduate student began using drugs in his 20s under the influence of his friends, which led to him being expelled from school before completing his master’s degree.
On his sister’s advice, M.B. sought help from YEDAM, where he successfully overcame his six-year addiction with professional support.
Having been drug-free for about three and a half years, M.B. was able to return to university thanks to an amnesty granted during his treatment period. He is now in the thesis phase of his master’s studies and aims to become an academic.
Speaking about the process, M.B. said he has been free from drugs for 3.5 years.
He explained that his drug use had seriously affected his social life, friendships and work. “After several attempts to quit and start again, I realized how much it had taken away from me. There’s no future in it. As I got older, I noticed it was taking even more from me. On my sister’s advice, I came to YEDAM, and I achieved very healthy results here,” he said.
M.B. said his addiction cost him many friendships, but added that his family had always stood by him through every difficulty. “Without them, I might not have come this far. YEDAM is a place every person with an addiction should come to. At first, I was prejudiced, but it’s truly different. When I first came to YEDAM, I was a graduate student, but I couldn’t complete my studies because of my addiction. I was dismissed after three years. That same year, luckily, there was an amnesty. I managed my treatment and studies well together. Once I finish my thesis, I may become an academic. For a former addict to become an academic is something truly inspiring,” he said.
M.B. added that he now has more dreams and a stronger sense of hope for the future.
YEDAM operates under the Turkish Green Crescent Society (Yeşilay), a leading nongovernmental organization (NGO) dedicated to combating addictions in Türkiye. Established to provide professional, free and accessible psychological and social support, YEDAM helps individuals and their families overcome substance, alcohol, gambling and digital addictions.
Staffed by expert psychologists and counselors, the centers offer therapy, rehabilitation guidance and reintegration programs, reflecting Yeşilay’s mission to promote a healthy, addiction-free society.
