On June 25, 2025, the Drug-Free World Foundation held an awareness-raising conference in the chapel of the Church of Scientology in Budapest.
The purpose of the packed-out event was to raise awareness of the importance of drug prevention and provide practical answers on how to recognize the danger, how to talk about it, and what we can do to prevent young people from becoming victims.
Parents, teachers, and family protection specialists listened attentively to the experiences and professional insights shared by the guest speakers. Attila Miklovicz, President of the Church of Scientology, welcomed the participants and briefly explained why the Church considered it important to support the conference—highlighting the relevance of the research and inspiration provided by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. He then handed over to the host of the event, Szilvia Nemes-Nagy, who emphasized:
“The drug issue is not just a social problem, but also a personal concern for many families—according to statistics, the majority of young people in our country encounter some kind of drug by the age of 14.”
Four speakers—two doctors, a former drug user, and the Hungarian director of the Drug-Free World Foundation—shared their experiences and knowledge at the conference. The speeches focused on how drug use can be effectively prevented, how to communicate effectively with young people, and what should be said – or not said – in order to prevent drug use.
“Drugs first alter your judgment”
Dr. Gyorgy Lenkei, a physician, spoke about the true nature of drugs and emphasized:
“How much better it would be if young people understood just one thing: drugs change the judgment of the user! The first thing they change is the ability to distinguish between facts.”
This is what makes drug addiction such a vicious circle. Before young people realize what is happening to them, they have already lost the ability to recognize it. “In reality, drug users want something to have an effect on them, so that things no longer happen because of them, but because of the drugs.”
“In fact, any chemical that the body does not need at all is a drug,” said the doctor. “It doesn’t matter if it’s natural or artificial, legal or illegal. There are currently more than 600 psychotropic substances, but only 141 of these are officially classified as narcotics. And when it comes to synthetic drugs, the law often lags behind drug manufacturers.”
He emphasized that this is precisely why the key to prevention is not punishment, but moral judgment, setting a good example, and honest dialogue.
One of the most moving moments of the conference was the testimony of Ákos Bodnar, a former drug user. His story revealed with raw honesty his fifteen-year downward spiral, which involved the slow loss of goals, energy, and human relationships. With tears in his eyes, he recounted how he watched a fellow sufferer fight for his life in a tragic car accident, but even that was not enough to make him stop.
“What did drugs give me? A few good moments. What did they take away? My motivation and my love of life,” he summed up.
He also talked about how the foundation later helped him return to a sober, responsible life.
How should we talk to children?
In the next presentation of the event, Gergő Németh, head of the Drug-Free World Foundation in Hungary, provided practical guidance on how to talk to our children about drugs. He emphasized that we should not approach them with fear, but with trust, relationship building, and accurate information. He stressed that it is not necessary to prepare for a single “big talk”; the key is regular, simple, and honest dialogue.
What can doctors do, what can we do?
Dr. Peter Lerner spoke about recognizing drug use and the importance of intervention. “Poison stimulates in small doses, then numbs and dulls, and in large doses it kills. The difference is only in the dose,” he explained the dose-effect relationship.
He described the visible physical symptoms and behavioral changes in detail, then gave practical advice on how to deal with acute situations. His most important message: “If there is even the slightest doubt about whether to call an ambulance, it is better to call.”
When talking about treatment, he emphasized the importance of vitamin supplementation, but stressed: “We need to find the reason why someone starts using drugs and treat that too.”
At the end of the conference, participants were able to ask questions to the speakers. Drug prevention is not just the responsibility of individual organizations or institutions, but a shared social responsibility. The event clearly showed that dialogue and knowledge can save lives—and that every life saved is invaluable.
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