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Substance Addiction
Substance Addiction
Substance addiction is the condition where harmful substances are used, and despite the harm caused, they cannot be quit. Addicts experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop using the substance and may increase the frequency and amount of usage over time.
What Are the Signs of Substance Use Disorder?
Substance use disorder is defined when at least two of the following criteria are met within a year and the individual's functionality is affected:
• Using more or for longer periods than intended.
• Unsuccessful attempts to quit or control substance use.
• Spending a lot of time obtaining, using, or recovering from the effects of the substance.
• Strong cravings or urges to use substances.
• Failure to fulfill responsibilities (work, school, home).
• Continued use despite negative consequences.
• Neglecting or giving up on daily activities (work, leisure, etc.).
• Using substances in dangerous situations.
• Continued use despite negative physical or mental effects.
• Developing tolerance (needing more substance for the same effect) or experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
What Are the Effects of Substance Addiction?
Substance addiction arises from the use of substances that cause physical and psychological harm. There is no safe way to use substances, and everyone is at risk of addiction.
• Substance use leads to distancing from normal life and deviation from regular behaviors.
• It can cause physical discomfort (such as stomach problems, bleeding, etc.) and illnesses.
• It can lead to poisoning and death.
• Addicts may experience social isolation, distancing themselves from family and surroundings.
The Role of Families in Substance Addiction: What to Do, What Not to Do?
What to Do:
Seek Professional Help Show Empathy and Understanding Communicate and Listen Join Support Groups Take Care of Yourself and Your Health Support Treatment
What Not to Do:
Talking to the person while they are under the influence may not be appropriate. Avoid talking until you feel ready.
Avoid blaming or criticizing.
Do not force treatment.
Do not hide addiction.
Do not neglect yourself.
Avoid despair.
Avoid denial and acceptance.
Avoid feelings of anger and humiliation. Act thoughtfully rather than making extreme decisions.
Remember that each individual and family is different, so seeking professional help to determine the best approach to combating addiction is important.
What Are the Effects of Substance Addiction on the Brain?
Scientific research shows that the negative changes caused by addictive substances in the brain are not short-term, they can be permanent.
Substance use affects different areas of the brain as follows:
Frontal Lobe: This area is responsible for emotional regulation, conscious thinking, and behavior control. After substance use, a person may feel relaxed and feel they can overcome barriers more easily. However, this can lead to irrational behavior, doing things they may regret, and problems with focus. As substance use continues, the brain slows down, and decision-making abilities decrease. In this state, it becomes much more difficult for the person to make correct decisions, control their emotions, and impulses.
Hypothalamus: This region is a center for hormone production. Addictive substances prevent the production of a hormone in the brain that tells the kidneys to absorb more water. This increases the body's water loss, causing the person to become dehydrated. This can lead to headaches and body aches the next day.
Cerebellum: The cerebellum controls balance and coordination. Substance use leads to balance problems in the cerebellum. The person may have difficulty standing or walking and may fall frequently. As a result, substance abusers are often prone to injuries.
Temporal Lobe: The temporal lobe is a region where faces, spaces, and complex stimuli are processed, and words are organized. The use of addictive substances affects the hippocampus region of the temporal lobe.
The hippocampus helps in creating new memories. Substance use disrupts the transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory during this process. As a result, users may experience short-term memory loss after taking substances, leading to not remembering what they did or said the next day.
In summary; Understanding the effects of substance addiction is important in combating addiction and can help make conscious choices.
What Are the Effects of Substance Addiction on the Human Body?
Substance addiction causes serious effects on the body and can lead to many health problems. Here are the negative effects of substance addiction on the body:
A New Arrangement in the Brain: Addictive substances can cause permanent changes in the neurons of the brain. This results in negative effects on decision-making, learning, memory, emotion, and behavior control areas of the brain. Starting substance use at a young age can lead to a decrease in IQ levels and negatively affect school performance.
Loss of Coordination: Addictive substances negatively affect a person's body coordination, leading to clumsiness and a decrease in sports or driving abilities. This can make it unpredictable for a person to find themselves and how they will behave.
Emotional Problems: Substance addiction can lead to anxiety, fear, hostility, and paranoia over time.
Memory Loss: Individuals may have difficulty remembering what they said or did after substance use. Additionally, excessive substance use can lead to loss of consciousness or memory loss.
Skin Problems: Addictive substances can increase acne by stimulating the oil glands on the skin (by mimicking the testosterone hormone). Long-term use can lead to skin problems such as baldness in men and excessive hair growth in women.
General Appearance: Severe substance users may have pale skin, acne, deep wounds, and weight loss. Intensive use of some substances may reduce appetite, making users look very thin.
Wrinkles: Substance addiction can cause skin aging. Reduced blood flow deprives the skin of oxygen, affecting important proteins in the skin, collagen, and elastin, leading to sagging.
Respiratory Problems: Addictive substances consumed through smoking can irritate the lungs by damaging the alveoli, which help us breathe, causing respiratory problems. These irritants can lead to respiratory diseases such as coughing up phlegm, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and even cancer.
Oral Health Problems: Addictive substances can affect oral health by depositing tar and chemicals on the teeth and tongue. Bad breath, plaque, and tartar buildup are common problems.
Mouth and Throat Cancer: Smoking and using addictive substances in the form of cigarettes can contain chemicals that can cause mouth and throat cancer. Life expectancy can be negatively affected after diagnosis.
Tooth Decay: Substance addiction can lead to dry mouth and teeth grinding behavior. It can increase the appetite for sugary foods and poor oral hygiene leading to tooth decay.
Heart Problems: Stimulant substances narrow blood vessels, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes. Additionally, sudden increases in heart rate caused by some substances can have lethal consequences.
Flatlining Heart Rate: Inhaling certain chemicals or consuming synthetic derivative substances can cause rapid and irregular heartbeats. It can lead to death within a few minutes. The use of such substances replaces oxygen in the brain and lungs, causing breathlessness.
Deadly Slowdown: Under the influence of addictive substances, the heart rate can slow to dangerous levels. Especially in combination with alcohol or multiple substance use, the risk of coma or death increases.
How Does the Addiction Process Progress?
Substance addiction is not a condition that develops suddenly; it is a process that evolves over time. Understanding at which stage a person is in this process is important in determining appropriate treatment methods. The addiction process consists of the following stages:
Social Environment and Peer Pressure: Substance use often begins in
"Everyone uses it, nothing happens."
This thought stems from the individual's search for validation. The vast majority of people, including young people, do not use substances. It may take time for those around the young person who uses substances to see the harm. The fact that nothing happens to them today does not mean they won't see the harms of substance abuse tomorrow. The proportion of happy and productive individuals who do not use substances is definitely higher than those who do.
"Using it once won't do any harm."
"Once" is the first step towards "many times". Because after the first use, the person is no longer afraid of substance use. They learn where to get the substance and how to use it. Additionally, some substances can lead to addiction even with just one use.
"Only weak people become addicted."
A person does not become addicted because they are weak. After becoming addicted, they eventually become weak. Over time, behavior and personality changes occur due to substance use.
"Substance only harms the user."
The addicted individual loses their societal productivity and becomes a consumer.
They resort to crime to obtain the substance. In order to sell substances to a broader audience, they try to get their close relatives or acquaintances addicted to drugs. Additionally, the money paid for substances directly or indirectly goes into the coffers of terrorist organizations.
"Pot is harmless. It doesn't cause addiction."
When substances that are claimed to be natural and non-addictive are used, physical withdrawal symptoms such as sweating, trembling, nausea, and vomiting may not be observed. However, severe psychological withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, irritability, emerge, and strong psychological dependence occurs.
Can Substance Addiction Be Treated?
Substance addiction may be perceived as an 'incurable disease' among many users. However, it is possible to treat individuals with substance use problems. Especially by following the principles of treatment, individuals who quit substances have a high chance of success in 'staying clean behavior.' However, the biggest risk during this process is starting to use substances again. A person should never try these substances, as it can be an irreversible and destructive step that can lead to devastating consequences.
There are two main factors that affect the success of treatment:
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Willingness to Undergo Treatment: It is important for the individual to have their own desire and motivation to start treatment. If the person does not want treatment, a treatment initiated forcibly is generally not successful.
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Readiness to Stop Substance Use: Quitting substance use may require the individual to change their habits and lifestyle. Therefore, it is very important for the person to feel ready for these changes. After treatment, establishing a healthy social environment, improving family relationships, and filling life with meaningful activities can increase the likelihood of staying clean.
Turkish Penal Code on Substance Addiction
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A person who produces, imports, or exports narcotics or stimulants without permission or contrary to permission is punished with imprisonment ranging from twenty to thirty years.
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A person who sells, offers for sale, gives to others, dispatches, transports, stores, buys, accepts, or possesses narcotics or stimulants is punished with imprisonment for at least ten years.
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A person who buys, accepts, possesses, or uses narcotics or stimulants for the purpose of use is punished with imprisonment ranging from two to five years.
What Parents Should Know About Substance Addiction Risk in Children and Adolescents
Substance addiction tends to start during adolescence. Children and adolescents are highly susceptible to tobacco, alcohol, and drug addiction. Therefore, it is extremely important for parents to be aware of this and take early measures to protect their children from harmful habits.
Children often learn values such as good and bad, right and wrong from their families. Ignoring children's wrong behaviors, reacting inconsistently to wrong behaviors, laughing, approving, or responding to these behaviors with inappropriate reactions can lead to problems in children gaining positive values.
One of the most important tasks of parents is to develop a sense of responsibility in their children and help them learn to avoid harmful behaviors. Children who learn these basic values are more successful in protecting themselves from dangers in adolescence and adulthood. In addition, parents should instill basic habits such as personal care, general health, proper nutrition, regular lifestyle, sleep, and regular exercise in their children, which can facilitate their avoidance of harmful habits in adulthood.
Families should establish a disciplinary system suitable for their children's needs, set limits, and act consistently. Excessive strict rules or no rules can increase the risk of children using substances in later years. Research shows that when children are raised within certain limits, they are more likely to adhere to these rules and avoid negative habits.
What Can You Do to Prevent Your Child from Using Substances?
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Discuss and emphasize the importance of staying away from harmful substances with your children from an early age.
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Be a proper role model for your children. Instead of explaining that smoking is harmful to health, show the benefits of not smoking. Your behaviors can influence their future choices.
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Children often mimic their parents' reactions. Show that you don't resort to alcohol or drugs when dealing with your own challenging situations. Be a proper model for solving problems, coping with stress, and finding happiness.
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Adjust your child's allowance without exaggeration. Setting boundaries is important.
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Do not ignore mistakes, but help your child learn from them. Help them understand the consequences of mistakes by discussing them.
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Help your child find hobbies or activities they can engage in during their free time. Provide options such as sports, playing a musical instrument, pet care, and developing skills to create healthy interests.
How Can You Tell If Your Child Is Using Substances?
- Is there redness in their eyes and dilation of their pupils?
- Is there sudden weight loss?
- Do they have coordination problems in their movements?
- Is there any unexplained injury, burn, or injury anywhere on their body?
- Have they started to speak inconsistently or ramble?
- Is there nervousness and aggression?
- Do you notice any unexplained changes in their personality?
- Do they experience sudden changes in mood or behaviors such as laughter without reason?
- Do they experience fear, withdrawal, tension, or suspicion without reason?
- Is there a decreased interest in activities outside of school?
- Has anything valuable gone missing from the house?
- Have there been instances of theft?
- Is there a change in their friend group or the places they hang out?
- Have they started using eye drops or tear fluid more often?
- Have they started spending less time with you than usual or spending most of their time alone in their room?
- Have they started spending more time outside the house than usual?
- Are they coming home late and not informing you of their whereabouts?
- Has their personal hygiene decreased, such as less attention to personal hygiene, such as taking a shower or wearing clean clothes?
- Have they started neglecting their responsibilities?
- Are they spending more money than usual and unable to clearly explain the reasons for their expenses?
- Have they started to have positive thoughts about alcohol or substances?
- Are they more tense than usual and easily angered?
- Do they experience frequent mood swings; sometimes cheerful, calm, and sometimes angry aggressive behaviors? If you notice these signs, your child may be at risk of substance use.
Remember! Similar situations can occur during adolescence. Therefore, do not accuse without being sure, but try to understand by communicating with your child.
What Should I Do If I Suspect My Child Is Using
