Green Crescent President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Dinç said that 948 people in Manisa applied to the Green Crescent Counseling Center to get rid of addictions. Dinç stated that it is remarkable that the number of people who want to get rid of substance and gambling addictions are close to each other.
Green Crescent President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Dinç visited Manisa Green Crescent Counseling Center (YEDAM) and met with Green Crescent Branch Aegean Regional Coordinator Salih Fulcun, Green Crescent Manisa Branch President Barış Kamiloğlu and YEDAM staff.
Green Crescent President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Dinç stated that they are fighting day and night to protect especially children and young people so that citizens can continue their lives in a healthy way and stay away from addictions. Dinç pointed out that 948 people in Manisa applied to the Green Crescent Counseling Center for treatment due to addictions.
Dinç said, “In this context, the issue we are most sensitive to is our prevention efforts. Our branches are in 120 points in Turkey. Just like in Manisa, they are working and organizing programs so that our children and people, especially our children, do not become addicted. Our youth branches, women's commissions and young candidates in our branch administrations express our determination and convey our messages through different activities to reach people in every subject, every audience, every age group. They are trying to instill in people a Green Crescentist lifestyle, a healthy, happy and peaceful lifestyle. Within the scope of Turkey's anti-addiction training, we reach students and children of all age groups from kindergarten to university within the scope of the life skills program within the scope of the intervention program for addiction at school, and we try to provide 10 million students and 2 million parents with the information and skills they need about addiction every year. We continue to do the work we do in Manisa and all over Turkey. The work we do within the scope of Turkey's anti-addiction education program, the work we do within the scope of the addiction intervention program at school and the work we do within the scope of life skills, on the other hand, we are working to strengthen children and young people against addictions by providing them with sports skills through the Green Crescent Sports Club, and to inform, raise awareness, increase their skills, increase their awareness, protect them and increase their protective factors through the work of our women's commission, women's commission and youth commission. But if somehow they have fallen into the trap of addiction, we have not given up on them. We have not abandoned them to their fate. We can never accept that they should continue in this way. We cannot give up on any of our citizens, any of our friends and brothers.”
Emphasizing that they are working with four hands in the fight against addiction, Dinç said, “No matter which addiction they are involved in, we are working with our psychologist friends and social workers in our Counseling Center to help them and to get rid of this problem. At this point, when we look at Manisa in particular, 948 of our brothers and sisters in Manisa have applied to our Green Crescent Counseling Center for treatment due to their addictions. 300 of them applied for tobacco addiction. Our brothers and sisters in Manisa are seriously aware of this tobacco addiction and have come to get help to get rid of it. Tobacco addiction may seem less harmful among all addictions, but when we look at it, we lose 200 thousand of our citizens every year due to tobacco-related diseases. Therefore, tobacco addiction causes very serious harm to our people, even though it is not taken seriously. It also causes serious harm to our people in Manisa. Secondly, 188 people related to substance addiction, 138 people related to alcohol addiction, 179 people related to gambling addiction applied to our centers. This is a very striking figure because the number of applicants for substance addiction and gambling addiction are very close to each other. This means that there is a situation in Manisa, as in all of Turkey, where important measures need to be taken seriously regarding gambling addiction.”
President Dinç concluded his statement as follows “The fact that we are here today shows the importance we attach to Manisa. We came as a team in large numbers. Manisa is a critical place. It is a very serious place and center for us, both in terms of the population at the university, in terms of young people, and in terms of Manisa's own population plus being an industrial zone. When we look at the data on addiction, Manisa is a place where we need to work a lot. Therefore, our Green Crescent Counseling Centers are working in every city in Turkey. Our branches are working. But Manisa is one of the places where we need to work a little more intensively. Because our young population is high here. Because we have more risky groups in the organized industrial zone. Because addiction is a bigger threat in Manisa than in other cities. Therefore, we have to work much more in Manisa. When there is such a big threat, this work cannot be left to a group, a team, an institution, all Manisans need to embrace and support this struggle for independence. Because we are really determined to enter every neighborhood, every street. We need to enter every street, every neighborhood. Because the addiction industry enters every street and poisons our children and young people. We need this support. We don't want money, we want volunteers to come voluntarily and support us.”
İHA Haber Kodu: 20241114AW329312