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Substance use that begins at an early age can lead to lasting brain damage and impaired cognitive functions, Professor Zehra Arikan, head of Lokman Hekim University's Department of Psychiatry, warned, describing addiction as a long-term public health issue that requires sustained treatment and family support.
In a statement shared by the university, Arikan said addictions linked to alcohol and substance use remain a concern, while behavioral addictions, meaning addiction patterns that do not center on alcohol or drugs, have also been on the rise in recent years.
Arikan noted that addiction had once been viewed as a moral weakness or a failure of will. Today, however, she said it is recognized as a brain disease and a broader public health problem.
She explained that treatment needs to be planned around each person and may bring together medication, psychosocial support and different therapy methods. According to Arikan, the process is shaped by a patient's living conditions and personality traits, and it calls for long-term follow-up rather than a short intervention.
"Addiction treatment is planned individually. This process, shaped according to the patient's living conditions and personality traits, requires long-term follow-up," she said.
Referring to research carried out in Türkiye in 2011 and 2017, Arikan said the general addiction rate rose from 2.5% to 3.1%, while alcohol addiction increased from 1.9% to 3.8%.
She also pointed out that the average age of patients receiving care at the Ozgur Koy Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, which operates under the Lokman Hekim University, has been falling. In some cases, she said, addiction starts as early as age 13.
Arikan warned that early addiction can have serious effects on brain development because the brain regions affected by addiction continue to develop until around age 25. For this reason, she said early substance use can lead to permanent brain damage and problems in cognitive functions, which include mental processes such as learning, memory and decision-making.
Arikan said addiction affects not only the brain but the entire body, adding that long-term substance use may lead to mental health problems as well as serious physical conditions, including liver and pancreatic failure.
She said the Ozgur Koy Treatment and Rehabilitation Center plays an important role in addiction care, with some patients receiving inpatient treatment for up to one year, while others take part in close follow-up programs as part of rehabilitation.
"Some patients receive inpatient treatment for up to one year, while others are included in the rehabilitation process through close follow-up programs. Long-term monitoring is critical in addiction treatment. Rehabilitation work covers not only patients but also their families. We hold regular meetings with families. In the fight against addiction, correctly informing and supporting families is one of the important factors that increases treatment success," she said.
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