From drugs to volunteering (and more!)

27 October 2025

Sander Schmidt (34):“Weed, hash; it has attracted me since I was young. I was curious, I wanted to try this out. At seventeen, I smoked my first joint. However, it went from bad to worse, I hung out with the wrong people and things got out of hand. I completely lost myself in drugs. I smoked weed daily for over thirty euros; I was at it 24/7. With bloodshot eyes, I sometimes showed up at work – I had various jobs through the temp agency. With each joint, I became a little crazier. Until I ended up in a psychosis at twenty-three; and started having panic attacks, couldn’t sleep anymore. It was very intense. Not only for me – I didn’t recognize myself anymore and was completely paranoid – but also for my parents and surroundings. I still lived at home back then, with my mother (my parents are divorced) – she knew I used drugs occasionally, but not to this extent. She was very shocked.”Admission“I realized that I didn’t want to live like that anymore. I started taking medication and chose to voluntarily admit myself to the psychiatric center AMC de Meren to work on my recovery. It wasn’t a full admission; I still slept at home. During the day, I received therapy and occasionally participated in sports activities. Finally, my eyes opened; I swore off drugs from that moment on. A switch flipped. I didn’t want to blame myself if something bad happened again because of something stupid I had done.”

Now I was back to doing meaningful things and had enjoyable social contacts. Good for my self-confidence.

Cut two cucumbers“The medications and therapies were effective; I made progress. Working was not an option yet, but through the AMC I got involved in other activities, such as a computer course at the Windroos and volunteering at the Waterheuvel, a clubhouse for people with mental health issues. My first experience with volunteering. Not something I would have initially thought of myself, but it turned out to be quite enjoyable. One day a week, I cooked dinner for about thirty people there, and then we ate together. I could work at my own pace – even if I only sliced two cucumbers, it was fine – and the atmosphere was relaxed. Afterwards, I always went home with a sense of fulfillment.”Tommy Teleshopping“In 2008, I transitioned as a volunteer to the adjacent Social Lunchroom de Buren. The level here was slightly higher. Customers came in regularly, and I made sandwiches to order. I surprisingly enjoyed the hospitality work, so I gradually started working more hours and taking on more tasks. This helped me tremendously to get back on track. Sitting at home all day watching Oprah and Tommy Teleshopping wasn’t making me happy either.

After five years of receiving benefits, I started earning my own money again.

“Joyful dance“When a vacancy for assistant store manager at De Buren opened up in 2009, I started to feel excited. Could I do it? Did I want to? I decided to give it a try, and to my great joy, I was hired! That’s when I really did a happy dance. And I was also a little proud of myself. In my role, I guide the volunteers on the shop floor, and I handle accounting and orders. And it has been going very well for six years now!”Reward“When I look back on the past ten years, I am now much calmer, wiser, and more patient. I now think longer before I act. And, as strange as it may sound, I am also somewhat glad that I went through such a rough period. Because of that, I have gained insights and been able to make a change. Doing volunteer work has certainly helped me with this. I could build up calmly, without pressure, and there was good guidance. And look where it has led me in my case! I feel like I am back in the midst of life. With a great job, wonderful friends, a healthy mind in a healthy body again. And, last year I even bought a house, a new build in Amsterdam. Truly a beautiful reward for myself!”Are you also interested in volunteering?No translation needed.Check out our range of job vacancies here.

For organizations:
Is your client ready for volunteer work? Read our article on this topic here

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