Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Hosted the Anti-Addiction Panel

(ANKARA) – Ankara Metropolitan Municipality (ABB) hosted the “What is and is not Addiction” panel on the International Day Against Drug Use and Trafficking. Participating in the panel, President Mansur Yavaş said, “Addiction is a huge problem that our society and individuals face. However, it is necessary to work determinedly to deal with this problem and all segments of the society must be involved in this work.”

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, which has undertaken various projects in the field of combating addiction, hosted the panel titled “What is Addiction and What is Not?” moderated by Prof. Dr. Zehra Arıkan on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. In the panel held at the ABB Conference Hall, individuals with various addictions and those undergoing treatment shared their experiences, while Prof. Dr. Zehra Arıkan, the moderator of the panel, provided information about the Özgür Köy Treatment and Rehabilitation Center.

Participating in the panel, Mayor Yavaş stated that they attach great importance to awareness raising on the fight against addiction and said:

“It is necessary to involve all segments of society in this work”

“Addiction is a huge problem that our society and individuals face. However, it is necessary to work determinedly to cope with this problem and all segments of the society must be involved in this work. First of all, we attach great importance to prevention and awareness activities in the fight against addiction. In order to reach all segments of society, we give seminars, hold workshops and organize informative events. We develop various programs for our young people to adopt a healthy lifestyle in the fight against addiction, and we continue our efforts to raise public awareness, providing psychological support to addicted individuals and their families in our addiction counseling centers. We offer guidance and information services. We also take important steps in the fight against smoking addiction with tobacco cessation sessions held in these centers. The cooperation and support of all segments of the society is of great importance. Therefore, as Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, we work in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, universities and other stakeholders. Without the active participation and support of society in the fight against addiction, it is not possible to achieve successful results. As Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, we are working to raise awareness on this issue on every platform and at least inform families. “I think we can get good results in the fight against addiction by working together.”