Addiction is not limited to alcohol, tobacco and substance addiction. Behavioral addictions such as gambling, internet, digital gaming, shopping, sexuality, exercise, solarium, overwork, smartphone addiction, which lead to repetitive behavioral disorders, negatively affect the lives of individuals. According to experts stating that the family approach is important in the prevention of behavioral addictions, strong communication within the family prevents adolescents from seeking the respect and love they need outside the family.
Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan from Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital said that addiction is a long course disease with treatment.
Stating that it is not wrong to say that all kinds of addictions are increasing, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan pointed out that behavioral addictions such as television, internet, smartphone and game addictions, which emerged with the development of technology today, are increasing gradually, along with addictions such as alcohol, drugs and gambling.
Addiction is a disease but treatable
Stating that addiction is also defined as the plague of the age, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan said the following "Addiction is called the plague of our age because it is seen as a disease that is difficult to treat and is increasing. As you know, the plague disease caused great epidemics in Europe 600 years ago, causing the death of many people. At that time, scientists had difficulty identifying and treating the microorganism that caused the plague epidemic, so there were many casualties. Describing addiction as the plague of our time actually expresses pessimism, with some references to the past. The public perception is that addiction is on the rise and that there is no cure. In fact, it is useful not to be so pessimistic. Addiction is on the rise, but technological developments have revealed the mechanisms of addiction and that addiction is a treatable brain disease. The perception that addiction is untreatable or difficult to treat reduces the number of patients or families visiting doctors and addiction clinics. It is worth repeating: Addiction is a treatable brain disease with a long course."
Addiction has nothing to do with lack of willpower
"Addiction is not a result of lack of willpower, moral weakness or personality weakness," said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan, "It is the result of irregular functioning of the brain's control mechanism and reward center. An individual thinks that he/she can control himself/herself and makes his/her first drink or substance experiment voluntarily. As a result of the effect of the substances used, the brain's control mechanism and reward center are disrupted. The person starts to use more and more alcohol and drugs. After a while, family, professional or social relationships start to deteriorate. In this period of time, due to the changes in the brain, the person persistently continues to use alcohol or drugs. At this point, the process in which the person starts to have difficulty stopping himself/herself is the addiction itself."
Don't let behavioral disorders darken your life
Emphasizing that addiction should not be limited to substance, alcohol and cigarette use, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan said, "Recently, conditions that progress with repetitive and compulsive behaviors that stimulate the pleasure center of the brain, such as gambling, internet, digital gaming, shopping, sexuality, exercise, solarium, overwork, smartphone addiction, Facebook addiction, which go with repetitive behavioral disorders, have become important. When we say behavioral addiction, we mean the loss of an individual's ability to terminate a behavior voluntarily. If a person spends hours on the internet or on the phone and has difficulty performing daily activities, technological addictions such as the internet and smartphones, which are in every minute of daily life, have a similar effect on the brain as drugs do after a while."
Addiction can be treated
Stating that individuals who use substances usually do not accept that they need to be treated and that they often apply to treatment accompanied by family members, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan said, "Sometimes patients feel hopeless that they cannot be treated, sharing information that they can be treated during this period can increase the participation of people with substance use in treatment. With treatment interventions implemented with professional support, substance and alcohol withdrawal can be achieved. Outpatient or inpatient treatment options should be evaluated and professional support should be obtained during this period."
It is necessary to change lifestyle
"At the beginning of the treatment process, the goal of the treatment should be to ensure that the person is free from substances and then return to social life," said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan, "The important thing is to change the lifestyle of the individual with the cessation of the substance used. The main goal of the treatment is to reveal the situations that cause substance use and to change these behaviors. In addition to psychological support such as psychoeducation, individual and group therapies, serum, medication support and brain stimulation techniques such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMU) in resistant cases are very useful in this period. TMU treatment is realized by stimulating the brain through electromagnetic waves in order to reorganize the brain mechanisms that control substance use."
Family communication with the child is very important
Stating that the family has important duties especially in the prevention of internet addiction, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan said, "Measures to be taken within the family are much more effective. The family needs to establish a healthy and safe relationship with their children. Once addiction develops, these relationships and the process takes much longer to recover. Parents should show their children the respect and love they need within the family. Healthy and strong communication within the family will prevent adolescents from seeking the respect and love they need outside the family. Parents should be a model for their children. You cannot make your child do a behavior that you do not do yourself. It will be beneficial for families to spend time with their children in real life, play games, do sports and read books together instead of virtual environment."
Listen to these suggestions!
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan listed his suggestions for parents as follows:
-Taking initiatives to increase communication within the family
- Establishing certain rules within the family
- To be informed about the child's interests and to share them with the child in these areas
- Providing healthy information about drug or alcohol use, avoiding encouraging conversations that may be unwittingly made
- Consistent messages, parents' agreement on the rules and their implementation
- Not blaming, criticizing, judging or lecturing your adolescent child
- Creating new social spaces
- Increasing quality time spent with the adolescent (going to the cinema, theater, playing chess, chatting)
- Providing an alternative to a group of friends (courses, hobby clubs, etc.)
- Increasing communication within the family and making them feel a sense of belonging
- Giving small responsibilities to increase self-confidence
- Supporting positive aspects and behaviors
- Helping to demonstrate self-sufficiency
- Increasing family time together
- To make them realize that they are an individual in the family, to take and implement their ideas in the decisions to be taken
- Determination of domestic rules and enforcement of sanctions for violations of rules
- Getting professional help