Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "A happy family environment protects against addiction"

President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan was the guest of the live broadcast organized by the Istanbul Provincial Mufti's Provincial Coordination Office for Fight Against Addiction. In the program, which was followed with interest by more than a thousand participants, the subject of "The Importance of Preventive Medicine in Addictions" was emphasized. Mentioning that the happy, peaceful and free environment provided in the family protects against addiction, Tarhan pointed out that bad friends and troubled families push them to addiction. Tarhan stated that "When we look at young people with the Internet addiction, we see that they grow up in an unhappy family. If there is no family warmth and peace at home, if children feel as if they have come to court when they come home, they try to make up for this deficiency with other objects. Bad friends and troubled families push children into addiction."

"Addiction is the attachment of a person to an object to which he would not normally be attached"

Tarhan, who started his speeches by defining the concept of addiction in the program moderated by Umran Kılıçer, Provincial Coordinator of the Istanbul Mufti in Fight Against Addiction, emphasized the concept of addiction that has transformed in the 21st century. Tarhan stated that “We can define addiction as the attachment of a person to an object of pleasure, an object of love, to an object to which he would not normally be attached. Addictions are usually well-known types, such as drug or alcohol addiction. But the types of addiction vary. Types of dependency are divided into two, normal attachment and bonded bondage. Addiction is the inability to exercise free will. One of the symptoms of addiction is a loss of control. The new name for addiction in our age is reward failure syndrome. These people always want reward and pleasure. Out-of-plan use results in addiction. Due to this state of captivity and captivity, the person completely loses control, and when he is deprived of what one is dependent on, the person enters a crisis. For example, Internet addicts have nervous breakdowns when they cannot be online. Internet addiction emerges as the fear of not being online and missing the agenda. Another symptom of addiction is that it is used for longer than planned. Dependency reduces daily work efficiency. Dosage overdosage occurs, as a result of which sudden golden strikes and deaths occur. According to a study conducted by Bakırköy, those who pray get rid of alcohol addiction within 40 days."

"In addiction treatment, the causes should be investigated first"

Tarhan, who made statements about the treatment stages of addiction, stated that the cause should be investigated first. Tarhan stated that "In order to get rid of addiction, you must first find the cause. Some become addicted for curiosity, pleasure, or stress reduction. In those who use substances for relief, the dose increases gradually and many side effects are observed. Addiction has three pillars: the first is the substance, the second is the addiction subculture, that is, the society glorifies and tolerates it, and the third is legal restrictions. Preventive mental health is very important in addiction. Primary protection is that people in the society who do not have problems with addiction know what they need to do to protect themselves from it. Especially in the USA, addiction has spread to almost all of society. The U.S. is paying the price for its ultra-liberal policies. To get rid of this situation, 'The Science of Happiness' courses have started to be given to the middle and high school levels."

"We experience many troubles and illnesses because we cannot experience the value and pleasure of believing."

Stating that addictions will be eliminated with the proper living of Islam, Tarhan said that "We live Islam culturally. If the rules of Islam are applied to the issue of addiction, a person who has a strong connection with Allah will not feel alone and will take refuge in the power of Tawheed. If you have a problem, you open yourself to the owner of everything, that is, Allah. Since we cannot experience the value and pleasure of believing, we experience not only addiction but also many troubles and diseases. We are in a century where worldism has become an ideology. A person who is only worldly cannot be happy. He who invests in temporary things cannot be happy. Compared to the past, the opportunities and comfort of humanity have increased, and the test of this is also different. In the past, people matured in poverty, but now we are maturing in wealth. Our souls are like wild horses. If the groom is smart, if he disciplines the horse well, he can take it in the direction he wants."

"Happy family environment protects from addiction"

Mentioning that the happy, peaceful and free environment provided in the family protects against addiction, Tarhan pointed out that bad friends and troubled families push them to addiction. Tarhan made the following remarks: "When we look at young people with the Internet addiction, we see that they grew up in an unhappy family. If there is no family warmth and peace at home, if children feel as if they have come to court when they come home, they try to make up for this deficiency with other objects. Parents have a great responsibility here. Parents' attitude mistakes cause a child to fall into the opposite role. Sometimes we witness that a child is a good child but behaves this way because of the wrong attitude of their parents. Bad friends and troubled family pushes children into addiction. It is necessary to set a good example for a child. Advice, conferences and preaches do not affect children. It is necessary to write new stories with a child. Parenting means planting seeds in the child's developing soul."

"True happiness is not in hedonistic satisfaction, but in the happiness of meaning"

Stating that the real feeling of happiness emerges not with material pleasures, but with spiritual feelings, Tarhan said that "Modernity presents the feeling of pleasure as the purpose of life. Happiness does not arise from external causes, but from internal causes. The internal reasons are to be able to be happy and appreciate what you have. It is necessary to teach this before people turn to addictive substances. In this respect, there are very good resources in our culture, but in our country, the method of intimidation is used to get rid of addiction. This is not the right method. Young people are looking for methods that understand and communicate with them. The new generation seeks innocence and understands positive communication. We do not speak the same language as young people; therefore, they build a separate world and live there. They closed their doors to us. It is necessary to be able to speak the same language. In this way, children will be happy, and it will be easier for them to enjoy life. Peace comes from people who believe in high values. Right now, the search for meaning is taught in America. Happiness of meaning is nothing new. There is a hedonistic satisfaction and a happiness of meaning. We must move from the age of information to the age of wisdom. That inner peace that wisdom gives is true happiness. We will experience this first, and then we must teach people about it. According to a study conducted in the USA, although the gross national product is increasing, the happiness rate is not increasing. In other words, there is no happiness with money. The UK and many countries have set up ministries for loneliness, people feel lonely in this age."

"In this age, evil is spreading in the form of an epidemic"

Referring to the positive and negative effects of digitalization on the young generation, Tarhan stated that in this age, unlike other centuries, evils spread in the form of epidemics. Tarhan concluded his remarks as follows: "Young people expect freedom and individualization. The difference between this generation and other generations is that they were born into a large communication network. They have succeeded in digitization very well. The younger generation is native to the digital world, while the older generation is the immigrants of this world. Social media is an open door in the safe environment of the home. The spread of evil is greater than the spread of good. Because of this rapidity, evil spreads earlier. Man is more sensitive to evil to protect themselves. Since social norms have weakened in society, there are no mechanisms left to warn young people. Social media is a dangerous medium, but at the same time, it is a very useful medium when used for good. The best way to fight the darkness is to light a candle. That is what Mother Teresa said. As a heavenly religious teacher, she said, ‘In order to make the world a better place to live, it is necessary to do good deeds.’ In other words, if half of these people do good, there will be no war or evil with the other half. The Hadith of Adolescence is described in the Sharif as ‘The age of puberty is a sort of madness.’ Parents will give children a space for a margin of error. It is necessary to prepare children for the difficulties of life with small responsibilities. It is necessary to gain the ability to postpone gratification at a young age. First of all, intention is very important to protect against evil. In this age, unlike other ages, evil comes as an epidemic."

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)