Uyuşturucu Madde Kullanımının Nedenleri ve Bağımlılık Oluşum Sürecinde İletişimsel Yaklaşımların Rolü ve Önemi: Polis Kayıtları Üzerinden Olgusal Bir İnceleme
Atalay BaharUyuşturucu madde kullanımı, tüm dünyada topluma zarar veren, en büyük tehdit unsurlarından biri hâline gelmiştir. Bu maddelerin yasadışı yollarla üretimi, dağıtımı ve tüketiminin önüne geçmek için büyük bir mücadele verilmektedir. Kullanımı, psikolojik ve fizyolojik olarak hızlıca bağımlılığa dönüşmektedir. Bağımlılık, bireylerin zarar gördüğünü bilerek kullanıma devam ettiği ve sürekli dozunu arttırmak zorunda kaldığı, karşılığında hukuki müeyyideler olan bir hastalık hâlidir. Uyuşturucu ile mücadelede hukuki düzenlemelerin ve kolluk kuvvetlerinin etkisi oldukça büyüktür. Ancak bu mücadelede temel faktör, toplumu uyuşturucu maddelerden uzak tutabilecek yolları araştırmak ve kullanımını engellemek için gerekli tedbirleri almaktır. Konunun iletişim paradigması ile ele alınması bu mücadelenin en temel hareket noktalarından birini oluşturmaktadır. Uyuşturucu maddelere karşı bilinçlendirme ve bireylerarası iletişim ailede başlayıp, sosyo-kültürel çevrede devam etmektedir. Gerek aile ve gerek yakın çevre ilişkilerinde yaşanan iletişimin düzeyi ve niteliği, uyuşturucuya erişim ortamına ve eğilimine sahip bireyler için teşvik edici bir faktör olmaktadır. Uyuşturucu madde suçlarında ve yakalanma oranlarında, istatistiki olarak anlamlı bir büyüme görülmektedir. Özellikle internet ortamında çocukları ve gençleri özendirici birçok haber, oyun, görüntü ve benzeri unsurlar bulunmaktadır. Gerek bu tür platformlar, gerek aile ve gerekse yakın çevre etkisi ayrıntılı bir biçimde incelenmeyi gerektirmektedir. Uyuşturucu maddelerden korunma ve mücadelede aile içi iletişim ile rol model iletişimi önemlidir. Bu makale, kapsamında söz konusu sorunsaldan hareketle; polis sorgulamalarında kendileriyle yüz yüze derinlemesine görüşme yapılmış 24 uyuşturucu kullanıcısından elde edilen veriler alan çalışması olarak değerlendirilmiştir. 24 derinlemesine görüşmeden elde edilen veriler, uyuşturucu madde kullanımına yönelim nedenleri, ailevi, rol modellere öykünme, arkadaş ortamı, sosyal çöküntü, eğlence amaçlı, merak, hastalık bahanesi ve sosyal medya/internet üzerinden kolay erişim olarak sıralanabilecek sekiz ana başlık altında kategorisel analizle çözümlenmiştir. Olguların ifadesel çözümlenmesinden elde edilen analize göre, bu nedenler arasında en çok öne çıkanın ise ailevi nedenler olduğu saptanmıştır.
Causes of Drug Use and the Role and Importance of Communicative Approaches during the Addiction Period: A Case Study through Police Records
Atalay BaharDrug use has become one of the biggest threats of harm to societies all over the world. There is currently a significant effort to prevent the illegal production, distribution, and consumption of these substances. Its use rapidly develops into a psychological and physiological dependence. Addiction is a condition where individuals continue using a substance despite knowing the risks involved and where they feel a need to increase their continuous dosage, all of which have legal consequences. The effects of legal regulations and law enforcement officers are reasonably significant in the fight against drugs. However, the main factor in this fight is to investigate ways of keeping society away from drugs by taking the necessary measures to prevent drug use. Addressing the
subject through the communication paradigm is one of the main points of this struggle. Drug awareness and interpersonal communication begin in the family and continue into the socio-cultural environment. The level and nature of communication in both the family and the close environment are influencing factors for individuals who have drug dependencies. Drug offenses and rates of seizures have shown a statistically significant increase. In the online environment, in particular, children and youngsters are surrounded by news, games, images, and other elements that encourage drug use. Such platforms, as well as family and immediate environmental impacts, require a detailed examination. Family communication and role model communication are important methods to fight and prevent illegal drug use. The data obtained from 24 in-depth interviews indicate that the reasons for the trend towards drug use are: family, an emulation of rolemodels, friendship groups, social collapse, entertainment, curiosity, illness, and social media/easy access over the internet. According to the analysis obtained from verbal examinations of cases, the most prominent among these causes was the family-related cause.
Today, the phenomenon of the fight against drugs is becoming an important issue in Turkey, as is the case all over the world. Drugs adversely affect the lives of individuals by initially giving pleasure, then becoming a habit, and finally by making people addicted and causing family-related and social damage. In both reactive and proactive approaches, the main duty of law enforcement officers is to prevent drug possession, use, and trafficking, while bringing those responsible to justice. However, a more rational approach is to tackle drug trafficking with multidimensional methods and the dedicated involvement of stakeholders.
Considering the deductive method, the number of drug crimes is observed to have increased in our country for years. In the ten year period between 2006 and 2016, the number of people who have gone to court regarding drugs in our country is approximately 11,000; while in 2016, this number reached about 693,000. In 2017, 35,000 individuals were prosecuted in Istanbul for crimes related to drug possession and use. The most striking feature of the data is that approximately 16.450 people have committed this crime, with a large proportion (47%) in the 16–25 age range. Statistical ratios indicate that young people are used at the forefront of the dissemination and trafficking of drugs.
Regarding the process of substance abuse, the first step involves behavioral curiosity and experimentation. When curiosity wins out over fear, the individual decides to try the substance. There is a significant and strong relationship between substance use/addiction and the personality structure/psychological states of individuals. A feeling that thoughts are not shared sufficiently within the family, that control mechanisms are not formed or are perhaps too rigid, inconsistencies in behavioral patterns, and overall blockages in communication channels are dragging adolescents and young people to places where drugs are found.
In interviews about drug addiction, the circle of friends appears to be a determinant in the steps of demonstrating, encouraging, and initiating drugs. Of the 1453 individuals interviewed, approximately 68% (985) accounted for the negative environment of their friends due to their tendency to use drugs, which then led to their use and dependency.
The use of effective communication methods in the fight against drugs constitutes the main scope of this study. In the literature review and drug addiction interviews, important data about the addiction process and its causes has been acquired. Communication paradigms affecting the statistical results of these data have been determined. As the basic structure and functions of life are formed within the family, communication within the family is considered as the first communication model in the fight against drugs. In social communication, the interaction of individuals with their socio-cultural environment and the codes of behavior within the context of drugs are mentioned. Role model communication focuses on the influence of parents as positive role models in keeping children away from drugs.
In this study, data obtained from 24 drug users, interviewed face to face in police investigations, was evaluated as field studies. These in-depth interviews were analyzed by categorical analysis under eight main headings, which can be listed as: family, role models, emulation, friend environment, social collapse, entertainment, curiosity, disease prevention, and easy access to social media/internet. According to the analysis obtained from a verbal examination of the cases, the most prominent among these causes was the family-related cause.
One of the factors that lead to drug use in these cases concerns the behaviors and direction of family members who are seen as role models. Curiosity is also a leading topic among the reasons for drug use, and in some cases, it is stated that drugs are used to contribute to fun. Social collapse and psychological problems are among the strong reasons for an orientation towards drug use among these cases.
The desire to integrate into the environment of friends, to trust and not refuse a friend who directs the individual toward drug use, makes the friendship environment decisive. Using drugs to relieve pain or to relax is another one of the reasons found in these cases, and drug trafficking through social media and the internet is yet another reason that facilitates the supply of drugs and increases its use and addiction.
One of the most important pieces of information that will contribute to the fight against drug use is an understanding of what led individuals to use drugs. For this reason, it is of great importance that drug addicts express these events firsthand. It is clear that the conclusions drawn from these statements would greatly contribute to the fight against drugs as mentioned in the study.
