Prof. Tayfun Uzbay: "Addiction is a brain disease"

An event titled “Addiction and the Fight Against Addiction in the 21st Century” was held by the Faculty of Communication at Üsküdar University. Prof. Tayfun Uzbay, the Rector’s Advisor and Head of the Department of Medical Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine at Üsküdar University, participated in the event. Emphasizing that behavioral addictions emerged with the 21st century, Uzbay talked about addiction being a brain disease. Noting that new addictions and new pleasures can emerge over time, Uzbay also pointed out that people living in a bad environment are more likely to become addicted for various reasons.

The event, held at the Fuat Sezgin Conference Hall in the South Campus, was moderated by Asst. Prof. Özgün Arda Kuş. The event received great interest.

"Addiction should start with the history of humanity"

Prof. Tayfun Uzbay, Rector’s Advisor and Head of the Department of Medical Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine at Üsküdar University, made remarks on addiction. Uzbay stated that “I think addiction should start with the history of humanity. Where humanity began, with the emergence of Homo Sapiens, addiction also started. If we go through our own history, there was a hunter-gatherer period in human history. We had a hunter-gatherer era. Then, we moved to agriculture, followed by an agricultural period. This was followed by the industrial and manufacturing era. Today, we are living in a computer and internet age, or in other words, an information age, and within all these periods we have experienced, we have technologically reached nirvana, we are at the highest point, with artificial intelligence and many other developments being created. We are living in such an era. Therefore, where does addiction begin in this? I think addiction emerged in the hunter-gatherer period, even before that. Humans are curious creatures, and they observe their surroundings. They communicate with each other, and they also look at what is around them."

"Such addictions known as behavioral addictions have emerged"

Emphasizing that behavioral addictions have emerged with the 21st century, Uzbay stated that "Up until the beginning of the 21st century, when we talked about addiction, we always discussed substance abuse or substance addiction. These are mostly chemical substances. So, what did we encounter after entering the 21st century? We encountered the Internet. The types of addictions we call behavioral addictions emerged. Over time, we got smartphones. We have an amazing social media platform. Almost no one is outside of this social media. This is a significant sociological fact of today, a societal reality. People now have a vast network of interaction with each other, but not face-to-face. In other words, you interact more on social media on your smartphones than with your friends sitting next to you. For some individuals or some communities, this has now turned into a serious habit, and there’s no denying this. On the contrary, when this is prevented, a serious problem arises. With the opportunities provided by the internet, we have incredible games. Casinos could be either legal or illegal in the past, but gambling used to happen in a casino. Gambling is now in your pocket. In the smartphone in my pocket, there’s an unlimited casino. If I want, I can gamble on all sorts of bets right here."

"There is an incredible system that encourages consumption"

Prof. Tayfun Uzbay discussed the large target audience of people born after 2000 and said that "Throughout the 20th century, we talked about eating disorders, but with the 21st century, obesity also increased. This was discussed, but more in the health and medical fields. We are only now realizing that a significant portion of obesity is actually related to eating addiction. Shopping is normal, something we all do. We go to markets, fulfill our needs, but the 21st century has provided something incredible. Now, you do not even need to go to a restaurant and burn five to ten calories to eat. There are many applications and all sorts of possibilities. You just tell them, and it comes right to your door. Maybe when you go to a restaurant to eat that product, you burn ten calories, but now you do not even do that. You can eat while sitting in one place. There is an amazing system that encourages consumption. Actually, those born after 2000 are a huge target audience."

"Instead of excluding, they should be controlled and treated"

Pointing out that people living in a bad environment are more likely to become addicted for various reasons, Uzbay expressed that "Addiction has a pleasurable side. When this is done repeatedly, it affects the brain. If you take a break or stop, the absence appears, and a crisis situation arises. It creates an obsession in you. Call it behavioral or substance addiction. Addiction is a brain disease, and instead of excluding addicts, they need to be somehow controlled and treated. However, what is bad is that we cannot even see a tenth of the budget allocated to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases in the field of addiction. There is a phase in our lives when we are more prone to addictions. That becomes a risk factor. Some of us may be genetically more resistant to addiction, but environmental factors come into play there. If you live in a bad environment, for various reasons, you become a candidate for addiction."

"Over time, new addictions and new pleasures can emerge"

Discussing how addiction does not increase creativity but rather decreases it, Uzbay stated that "There are no limits to what can cause addiction. It is not just this chemical that makes it and that one does not. New ones can emerge through synthesis. For example, in my time, no one talked about social media addiction. Now we talk about such an addiction. Therefore, over time, new addictions and new pleasures can emerge, and new pleasures mean new addictions. Most pleasures are said to be universal. What does that mean? Addictions are also universal, and pleasures are too. There may be cultural nuances, but generally, something that gives pleasure to one person can give pleasure to another, even from a different culture. Pleasures are universal. And people enjoy being stimulated. Actually, there is a wrong term that has settled in Turkish. We say drug addiction, but it is not drugs, but it is substances that cause addiction. Many things are mixed up here and overlap. Addiction does not increase creativity. On the contrary, it decreases creativity."

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)