Pubdate: Sun, 12 Jul 2015
Source: Today's Zaman (Turkey)
Copyright: 2015sFeza Newspaper Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.todayszaman.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4547
Author: Adem Elitok Bursa

ADDICTS JOIN FORCES IN THEIR BATTLE WITH DRUGS

A newly established association has brought together dozens of drug
addicts to continue their treatment and rehabilitation, in an effort
to lend a helping hand to addicts and to combat abuse. Drug use has
been dramatically on the rise in Turkey in recent years. A report
released by the National Police Department last year shows that the
use of illegal narcotics, particularly bonzai, a synthetic
cannabinoid, is 17 times higher than it was three years ago, and that
the number of deaths caused by illicit substances has increased
drastically, from 162 in 2013 to 648 in 2014.

The Association for Meeting with a Sober Life (AYBUDER) has been
recently established to combat drug addiction. Members of this
association, former and current drug addicts, share their experiences,
work toward rehabilitation, and engage in efforts to curb addiction.

All those who have joined the association have heart-wrenching
stories. Many have shared them with Sunday's Zaman, hoping to provide
a lesson to others.

One is 23-year-old Gulşah Kayrak, who became an addict herself
while trying to save a friend from substance abuse. "She drowned me as
I was trying to rescue her," she says. "I was drinking alcohol while
she used heroin. You cannot get on well together when one of you is
sober. Finally, I said I was going to begin using heroin if she did
not quit. I took heroin that day, and again the next day, the next and
the next," Kayrak said.

She said she decided to seek treatment after she used bonzai and had a
close brush with death. "I felt that I should call my mother at that
moment and I called her," she recounted.

Kayrak believes that families have a great responsibility both to
prevent their children from using drugs and to help addicts quit. Zeyd
Ustun, a 24-year-old who began using marijuana when he was a teenager,
agrees. He says a lack of communication within his family and an
authoritarian father figure played a major role in his decision to
begin using marijuana.

He says he also came face-to-face with death when he was injecting
himself with marijuana in the toilet of a mosque. "I fainted while I
was trying to inject marijuana into my arm. My brother was taking
heroin in another stall. He says he tried to bring me around for 45
minutes. I would have died if my brother had not been there," he said.
Attesting that a call to AYBUDER saved his life, he stated: "I have
not used anything for nearly 13 months. I saw peace in the eyes of may
parents after I fully sobered up."

There are also volunteers working for the association. One of them is
Duriye Ozlu, whose son began using drug when he was seven and is still
trying to get clean at AYBUDER. Ozlu has been staying with drug
addicts who receive treatment at the association in order to provide
them with psychological support. "I came to AYBUDER and I continue my
life here. I will do whatever I can as a volunteer," she says.

State failing fight against drug abuse

A report recently released by the National Police Department revealed
that the government is inadequate in combating the illegal drug
market, which mainly targets young people between the ages of 15 and
30. According to the report, in 2014 one victim of drug use was under
the age of 15, 26 victims were between the ages of 15 and 19, another
54 victims were aged 25 to 29 and 25 deaths were of people between the
ages of 30 and 34.

According to the Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat), the number
of people in jail for drug possession increased by 355 percent between
2009 and 2013, rising from 2,605 to 11,851. The number of those in
jail for crimes related to the drug trade has increased 481 percent,
rising from 1,576 to 9,177 in the same period. The number of people in
jail for the crime of buying and using drugs has increased 160
percent, from 1,009 to 2,674. The use of the drug bonzai has increased
by 300 percent over the same period according to official figures.

Murat Erilgin, who is 21, says he started taking drugs at the age of
13 and also worked as a drug dealer in İstanbul for three years.
"The state is very weak on this issue. They are afraid of street
children [selling drugs] in Beyoğlu and Taksim. In fact, there is
nothing to be afraid of. They do not harm you if you know how to
approach them," he says.

Stating that he has personally known people who use drugs since the
age of 11, Erilgin says it is easy to get drugs in İstanbul.
"There is not a specific area where this [drug dealing] is done in
İstanbul. It is everywhere," he said.

Addicts need affection before medication

A volunteer at AYBUDER, Cihan Savaş, who is a former drug addict,
says addicts need affection and love before medication. "Whenever an
addict comes here, we first hug him or her. Society always ostracized
us and embracing them gives them confidence. The fact that some of the
volunteers are former addicts who continue their lives without any
chemicals is a great example for them. They need hope," he told
Sunday's Zaman.
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MAP posted-by: Matt