Stating that substance addiction is not a willpower disorder but a chronic brain disease and that the comments that the individual tends to use it in line with his will do not reflect the truth, Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Prof. Onur Noyan draws attention to the fact that sports activities keep the individual away from addiction by increasing some hormones.
Pointing out the importance of sports activities against substance addiction, Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital AMATEM Unit Psychiatry Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan gives suggestions to families about how they should behave when they encounter this situation;
Substances disrupt hormonal balance
Referring to the dopamine hormone and the reward center in the brain, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan said, "Our brain secretes dopamine through certain activities. Eating, being in a favorite place, being busy with hobbies cause dopamine secretion in the individual. In such cases, the amount of dopamine in the brain is secreted at different rates. However, when the individual is introduced to the substance, dopamine secretion can increase up to 10 times and the individual starts to use the substance more frequently due to the high pleasure. Since the brain gets used to it with continuous use, this time the level of dopamine secretion decreases, so the individual tends to increase substance use because he/she cannot get enough pleasure from what he/she does. In other words, excess dopamine starts to damage the brain. At this stage of addiction, dopamine overload prevents the brain from functioning properly and causes biological changes that impair decision-making and self-control. No one starts a substance to become addicted. They try it once and the more they try it, the more they continue to use it because they feel changes in the brain and addiction develops. Adolescents are most at risk in this regard."
Childhood and adolescence are risky periods
Stating that there are two risky periods in substance use, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan; "The first is curiosity during adolescence. Substances start to be used with curiosity. If a person is afraid of a substance, he does not use that substance, otherwise, if he is not afraid, he wants an experience. In fact, there is a balance between "fear and curiosity"... If an individual is afraid of a substance, if he/she thinks that it will harm him/herself, he/she will not use that substance. But if there is no fear and curiosity is higher, they tend to try it, thinking that it won't do anything to me anyway. If the balance increases in favor of curiosity, the person will use the substance; if the balance increases in favor of fear, the person will not use the substance. Therefore, in order to prevent substance use during adolescence, it is necessary to establish a balance between curiosity and fear. However, no solution can be obtained by scaring the individual during adolescence. Especially if it is explained like a lecture, it does not work. Research shows that this awareness work needs to start from childhood. In other words, childhood is another risky period. It has been shown that if families can talk to their children about alcohol and drugs from childhood, if they can talk about many issues such as the effects of substances, past life examples, and their harms, these individuals have less contact with substances in adolescence or later in life. In other words, the most fundamental problem in prevention is not to scare individuals, but to provide them with accurate and objective information from childhood onwards. Scary discourses such as people who drink substances become schizophrenic do not last long. However, if these issues are mentioned during a conversation, it makes more sense. At this point, parents also need to change the way they talk. The approach of 'Have you been drinking or not, tell us who among your friends is drinking' is counterproductive. The importance of raising conscious children comes to the fore at this point."
Sport keeps away from addiction
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan said that in all studies, those who are engaged in sports activities tend to use alcohol and substances less; "Research shows that thanks to sports activities from a very young age, individuals choose alcohol and substance use less during and after adolescence. During adolescence, especially young people who do sports stay away from substances such as hookah, cigarettes, alcohol and behavioral addiction. At this point, in order to prevent addiction, families need to build self-confidence in the individual, create an environment that will enable the individual to express himself/herself comfortably, and teach him/her to say no in some situations. If an adolescent is in search of novelty and excitement, if he/she reacts suddenly, if he/she cannot tolerate boredom, if he/she is pessimistic, this person is prone to substance abuse. While families do the necessary tasks to prevent this, sports also have a different effect. By increasing certain hormones, sports makes the individual feel good, helps him/her to have a purpose and therefore keeps him/her away from addiction in the long run."
Noyan continued his words as follows: "Sports practiced individually or in teams during and after childhood, competitions focused on winning and losing create an increase in dopamine. Those who are interested in sports since childhood create a protective space for themselves in some way. Especially in team sports, there is interaction with the environment, physical activities, and an increase in dopamine whether they win or not. With sports, self-confidence increases, the person can empathize and cope with the negative emotions they have experienced, and they gain time management. For example, they played a match and were defeated, they learn to cope with the negative emotions. In team games, they learn to respect their opponents and coaches. When we add it all up, we see that sports have many protective effects against addiction. Especially adolescents cannot tolerate boredom. Due to the increase in hormones in the brain after sports activity, the person copes with these troubles and gaps more easily."
The situation should never be ignored
Stating that according to studies, families learn about substance abuse in their children on average 2 years after it starts, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan said, "One of the parents notices, but when they ask each other what happened, the incident is passed over. Either the mother or the father can pass over the situation, usually the mother finds out first, but does not tell the father about it because she is afraid of his reaction. But when it is known, parents should talk about it internally and the risks should be revealed. If a relationship that is always going well is disrupted, if the child's routine is disrupted, if the child closes his/her room, if he/she puts passwords on electronic devices, if sudden changes in emotions and moods occur, if changes occur in his/her body, if there are more or less sleep, if there are physical changes such as bruises under the eyes, if money losses occur at home, if borrowing starts, if there is a decrease in classes and if the friend environment changes, if the child starts to behave in an unexpected way, there are serious problems."
