Terrifying report from the UN: 296 million people are substance dependent!

Addiction is a common problem for the world. According to the 2023 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), while approximately 296 million people worldwide are substance dependent, it is noted that alcohol, gambling, technology, and other behavioral addictions are also showing a rapid increase. This situation points to a major crisis that threatens the health of individuals and societies.

Multidisciplinary approaches, scientific solutions, and international cooperation are of vital importance in the effective fight against addiction. Experts pointed out that addiction also leads to severe consequences in Turkey, stating, "We need to first detect addiction and then treat it correctly."

The Addiction Academy, Moodist Psychiatry and Neurology Hospital, and Kent University brought together national and international experts in Istanbul the other day for the "Addiction and Recovery Symposium." Speaking there, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Kültegin Ögel stated that effective and correct methods must be used for addiction to be treated, saying, "It is extremely important that parties working in this field, such as psychologists, psychiatrists, family physicians, nurses, dietitians, and social workers, play a role in treatment with a multidisciplinary approach."

Explaining that addiction can take many forms, Ögel said, "Addictions like alcohol, drugs, internet, gambling, or smoking; but some addictions, for example gambling, alcohol, and drugs, disrupt not only the life of the addict but the entire family, and even affect social life. For this reason, we need to take all of these into account while continuing treatment. We need to address everything together, not just the treatment of the addict, but also the treatment of the family and some improvements aimed at society. Addiction tends to destroy not just the individual but everyone, all together, and while this is increasing in the world, it is unfortunately increasing much faster and exponentially in our country, and we all need to join hands on this issue."

'THERE IS A SERIOUS INCREASE IN METHAMPHETAMINE'

Psychologist Melike Şimşek stated that there is a very serious increase in methamphetamine use, saying, "We can say it starts during adolescence." Şimşek said the following:

“There is an increasing risk for children of parents with alcohol addiction. This can be genetic or familial, but if your parents have an alcohol addiction, your probability of being alcohol dependent is high. In a genome study we published in 2020, when we looked at genetic factors, we saw that substance use, attention deficit, autism, and major depression share the same genetic risk factors. Furthermore, research shows that individuals with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder have a 50 percent higher predisposition to addiction.”