Photo credit: BigStockPhoto jefras
by Dr. Hakan Karaman
Social work has a universal emphasis across generations and cultures: empowerment. Empowerment is closely linked to the discovery of the stories that clients bring into the interview room. Social work acknowledges that every individual possesses strong autonomy and uses empowerment as a key trigger in this regard. In other words, regardless of the challenges one has faced in life, there is always some strength left to continue the journey. This characteristic of social work is crucial in addressing one of the major problems of our time: addictions.
Today, addictions manifest in our lives through substances like alcohol and drugs, as well as behaviors like gambling, pornography, and technology use. By its very nature, addiction gradually emerges as a problem in an individual’s life, consuming other sources of motivation and well-being.
The cause of unhappiness, dissatisfaction, or sorrow may not always be related to a major trauma or loss. Social work principles teach us that anything that reduces a person’s problem-solving capacity and skills is also harmful. Even if a person does not consciously realize it, struggling with such losses is a fundamental aspect of social work. When individuals lose their ability to cope with life’s difficulties, they become vulnerable. The most insidious aspect of addiction is that this vulnerability slowly settles into their lives.
If you throw a frog into hot water, it jumps out immediately. But if you gradually heat the water while the frog is in it, it won’t realize it’s being boiled until it’s too late. This is why, in the fight against modern-day addictions, we need the core human understanding that social work provides. The principles and actions supported by social work serve as powerful tools in fighting addictions. In lives where addiction silently and deeply takes root, every action that promotes an individual’s happiness and freedom is, in fact, part of this struggle. With all of its elements, social work is the most natural and powerful tool in this fight.
Every effort to make lives more meaningful, happier, and freer is connected to the value system of social work. We all know that social work starts from where the individual is. Sometimes, one is greater than two, because the value of an action is not determined by the action itself but by the circumstances and difficulties it has overcome. That is why, in social work, there is no such thing as small or big—every action that empowers is significant.
Dr. Hakan Karaman
Dr. Hakan Karaman has been working in the social work academy for nine years. Dr. Karaman also shares the stories of clients as a narrative therapist. Addictions, youth, and street work are his main areas of work. Follow Dr. Karaman on Instagram.