The profile of addiction is changing!
Stating that the profile of addiction has changed in recent years and that people with high socio-economic and educational levels are addicted to substances, experts said, "The biggest problem with these people is that they are not aware that they are addicted. They think that they use the substance in a controlled manner and that they can quit whenever they want, but this is a big misconception. Addiction is a disease and must be treated".
Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said that the profile of addiction has changed significantly in recent years, and that people with high levels of education and in managerial positions are addicted to substances.
THEY ARE ADDICTED BUT THEY DON'T REALIZE IT!
Noting that these people are not aware that they are addicted and therefore their treatment starts late, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said the following
"While homeless and orphaned people living on the streets used to use substances in the past, today there has been an increase in the substance use of people with jobs and education. These people have also started to become addicted, and this has brought especially this: They think that I am not like them, I am not addicted. In this way, these people became more addicted. It delayed their understanding of their own situation. Although people are educated, conscious and have many opportunities, because of this perception in their minds, they delay treatment, postpone it and it is very difficult for them to accept it. However, addiction is a disease like diabetes and blood pressure that can happen to people from all walks of life."
THEY APPLY TO A SPECIALIST TO CONVINCE THEIR RELATIVES
Eryılmaz stated that these people mostly come to the hospital not on their own will, but when things become unmanageable: "They come when their family or spouse puts pressure on them. Their purpose in coming here is to convince their relatives. They think that they are not addicted, they believe that they will not use the substance when they want, that they will quit, and that their close environment is unnecessarily worried about them. However, this is not true. The criteria for addiction has nothing to do with the duration, the criteria is as follows: If a person takes more and more doses of a substance, if they use their social and financial means more and more to access the substance, if they have a history of wanting to quit but repeatedly failing to quit, these are the criteria for addiction. How much did you drink before, how much do you drink now? Is there an increased amount? How much time do you spend on it? If the answers show an upward curve, that person is addicted."
THEY WANT TO REACH PLEASURE IN A SHORT TIME
Stating that people with high socio-economic level and education who are addicted to substances should first be aware of their addiction, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "The first step is for a person to accept their addiction. The profile of people with high socio-economic and education levels is quite high. Working university graduates, who have their own houses, the segment we call white-collar. They have closed groups, they use with other white-collar workers. It has become a social activity. Another profile is the CEO who works a lot at the CEO level, travels a lot, thinks that this information should be kept confidential, leads life almost alone, and does not give any information about himself/herself to the outside world. There are also groups of doctors, lawyers and teachers that we are all around. These people usually turn to substances that are not so easily available, that are more stimulating, that can be more stimulating in single doses, that increase performance or pleasure. These people are looking for pleasure, they have a very short time, they need to reach pleasure. This is a very facilitating thing," he said.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz stated that people with a high socio-economic level and education turn to substance use because they have enjoyed many things in life and are in search of new things, want to reach pleasure in a short time or want to increase their performance and said, "Some of them also use substances to cope with the stress in their lives. People between the ages of 20s and 35. People in the productive period. They are not few enough to be underestimated," he said.
FAMILIES CANNOT CONTROL
Stating that the situation is similar in the world, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz stated that this group has influential people around them and said, "Families cannot control them. These people are influential people. Families are convinced when they say they can handle this. This is a group where families are more pacified."
Stating that the treatment processes of these people are longer, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "These people start treatment late. It is more difficult for them to accept, and it is more difficult for them to receive treatment."
Stating that there are also psychiatric disorders accompanying substance addiction, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gül Eryılmaz said, "Psychiatric diseases sometimes occur before substance use and sometimes after substance use. We see psychiatric diseases in substance users because the substance itself causes psychiatric diseases due to the chemicals it contains. There is also another group who use substances despite having a psychiatric illness. There are also accidental substance users. In other words, they have panic attacks and accidentally discover that alcohol is good for them. He has never received any treatment, he relaxes with alcohol. You look and see that he is addicted to alcohol."