WHAT ARE GATEWAY DRUGS?
Gateway drugs are often described as substances, which may lead the user to more addictive and harder drugs if used consistently. Why Gateway? The term "gateway" is referred to as the passage or opening to something else, and that's what gateway drugs mean! In other words, these drugs open the door for harder drugs if you've ever tried them! For instance, you tried to smoke a cigarette because you’re curious about the sensation it creates, and because of the sensation or feeling, you've gotten addicted to smoking, until you turn to try out other harder drugs too! Well, that's pretty dangerous! On the other hand, these drugs are less expensive to buy compared to other drug, that’s why many individuals, mostly young people, prefer to buy them. The most common examples of gateway drugs are marijuana, tobacco, alcohol, and even prescription drugs. Some prescription drugs aren’t considered as hard drugs, but that doesn't mean they're harmless, being an abuser of these drugs can often lead to other harder drugs and thus creates more danger to one’s health, both physical and mental.
EXAMPLES OF GATEWAY DRUGS
• Marijuana
Marijuana is dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the Cannabis plant. It is also known as a psychoactive drug, it contains the mind-altering chemical Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that primarily affects one's memory, movements, decisions, concentration, coordination, sensory and time perception, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Marijuana is used widespread among teenagers and young adults, and can commonly be found in rolled tobacco, baked goods or cookies, beverages, oils and tinctures. That's why marijuana seems like an easy find since its accessible.
Effects of Marijuana
The use of Marijuana has a damning effect on different aspects of a person's life. These include:
Short-term effects
- loss of control
- school difficulties
- car accidents
- memory problems
- having troubles in concentration
- drained mentality
- affects appetite
- delusions
- psychosis
- hallucinations
- severe anxiety
- family problems (highly possible)
- Tachycardia heartbeat
- higher chance of stroke
- panic
Long-term Effects
- Decline in IQ up to 8 points
- addiction
- relationship problems
- Symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and increased rates of respiratory infections and pneumonia (According to NEJM article)
- schizophrenia (people who are predisposed to them)
- depression
• Tobacco
What is Tobacco?
By definition, tobacco also known as Nicotiana tabacum is a plant where cigarette and its other products come from. It contains the highly addictive stimulant alkaloid Nicotine and also Harmala alkaloids. Studies have shown that the use of tobacco is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease such as heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmia, stroke, etc. which is the single leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Studies have shown that, about 34 million US adults smoke cigarettes, and 58 million non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke.
What are the factors of tobacco use?
Several factors indicates the use of tobacco. These include
- Environmental factor- an environment with the majority of its population using tobacco may push an individual to use it too. This happens especially if the person is highly exposed to the people of the said environment.
- Peer Pressure- an individual whose peers smokes may be forced to do the same in order to be accepted within the group.
- Parental influence- an individual who has parents that use cigarette might cause him to do the same thing
- Advertisements- Advertisements may show how smoking feels good. It may also show the features of the cigarette, which heightens the enthusiasm of an individual to use, or to even try.
- To Free Stress- Smoking sometimes gives the user the feeling from stressful situations. Users tend to smoke when they have problems because they believe in its calming effect just for the moment.
- Curiosity- Curiosity gives a person the feeling of eagerness to try something new, especially if the majority of people are also doing it.
Effects of Tobacco Use
We all know that tobacco contains nicotine that is highly addictive, and thus resulting to several damages to one’s health. Cigarette smoke contains over 7,000 chemical substances, 69 of which are known carcinogens, which are highly dangerous. The inhaled smoke circulates in every area of the body and reaches every organ which affects the overall condition of smokers. Second hand smokers are also affected by the smoke. These effects include:
- Dry lips
- bad breath
- pale lips
- coughing
- dyspnoea
- senselessness and tastelessness problems
- cardiovascular disease
- certain types of cancer
- irregular periods (in women)
- erectile problems (in men)
- lung disease
- diabetes
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- asthma
- premature (low birth-weight babies)
Smoking can also increase the risk of:
- tuberculosis
- certain eye diseases
- brain damage
- immune system problems
• Alcohol
According to Merriam Webster dictionary, alcohol is an ethanol, especially when considered as the intoxicating agent in fermented and distilled liquors. It damages the end of the neurons also known as dendrites, which makes it hard for neuron to relay message to each other and thus, slows down brain function which affects our movements, speech, and reaction time. Since alcohol is broken down by the liver, long-term use of it can cause damage to the liver. It also heightens the risk of developing a chronic liver inflammation and liver disease, which in the long run, might cause you to live a shorter life
Factors for alcohol use
- Peer pressure
- Curiosity
- Socialization
- Parenting
- Losing one's inhibitions
- Endless problems
- Broken-hearted (major factor)
Effects of alcohol use
- drained brain
- slow movements.
- difficulty in speech
- lose one's control
- govern one's emotions
- hallucinations
- panics
- dizziness
- behaviour changes
- liver damage
- cancers
- heart damage
- pancreatitis
- fatigue
- stomach distress
- lung infections
- coordination changes
- numbness
- diabetes
- malnutrition
- sexual dysfunction
- infertility
- birth defects
• Prescription Drugs
Prescription drugs are pharmaceutical drugs that usually require a medical prescription in order to be obtained. The abuse and misuse of prescription drugs often turns them to a gateway drug. According to Science Daily, Researchers have found that four out of five injection drug users misused an opioid drug before they injected heroin. Such overdoses of prescription drugs may cause coma and death. The effects of abusing prescription drugs include:
- low blood pressure
- slowed breathing rate
- memory problems
- depression
- anxiety
- panic disorder
- paranoia
- hallucinations
- heightens aggression
- heart failure
- seizure
- choking
HOW TO PREVENT GATEWAY DRUGS?
The following are preventive ways to help you to stay out and quit from the use of gateway drugs. These include:
- Choose good friends
- Know the importance of your health
- Eat healthy foods
- Avoid Temptation and Peer Pressure
- look for help
- Hangout with individuals who do not use drugs
- skip parties where drugs are present
- know the dangers of gateway drugs
- learn how to say "no"
- discipline and control yourself
With all of these, we can now conclude that gateway drugs are indeed hazardous to our health, both physical and mental. It does no good to us, except to harm our lives and even destroy our happiness. It covers up the lightness which this world tries to show us, and even causes us to feel bad about ourselves. Well, it's not the end. You can always change anytime you want; especially once you know how important our health is. We should also know that we only have one life, and overtime it can be taken away from us, therefore we need to take care of ourselves so that we can live longer lives.
Written by Sarah Jane Sederiosa