Under the patronage of the esteemed Dean of the College of Dentistry, Professor Dr. Raghd Abdulrazzaq Mohammed,
the Rehabilitation, Employment, and Follow‑Up Unit at the College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, organized a symposium entitled “Drug Addiction: Causes and Solutions.” The lecture was delivered by Assistant Lecturer Lina Sami Adham, with the attendance of several college students.
The symposium aimed to introduce students to the concept of addiction and its dangers to society, as it is considered one of the epidemics that threaten the very fabric of individuals and communities. Addiction is a pathological phenomenon capable of undermining the foundations of entire nations, posing grave risks to physical, psychological, and social health.
The symposium addressed several key themes, including:
- The definition of addiction as an organic disease and a behavioral, psychological, and social disorder that negatively affects various body systems, with no cell in the brain or body spared from its harm.
- Its serious repercussions on security, the economy, and public behavior in society.
- The distinction between drug use and addiction, emphasizing the scientific and legal importance of this differentiation. Addiction represents a repeated behavior leading to psychological and physical dependence, dominating a person’s thoughts and priorities.
- The causes leading to drug use, such as weak religious commitment, bad company, frequent travel abroad, feelings of emptiness, staying out late, excessive availability of money, social problems, psychological pressures, and the desire to imitate others.
The symposium recommended the following:
- Strengthening community awareness of the dangers of drugs.
- Enhancing the role of families in guiding and supporting youth, given their central position within the family and society. Neglecting or abandoning them without support may push them toward deviation or addiction.
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