3 ms·

If this is true, it proves the gateway drugs can have a large affect on stronger things.

• yazaddaruvala 10y ago
  The causality here has always been misguided because of the name "Gateway" given to these drugs by the media. "Gateway" drugs are not gateways people use to transition through, and shouldn't be thought of or called as such. They are "first warning" drugs. Almost all toothaches do not need a root canal, but some toothaches are definitely the first warning sign for needing a root canal. <strike>Children</strike> People, who are more likely to try cigarettes/alcohol are also more likely to try harder drugs, and people who are more likely to try harder drugs are more likely to try even harder ones. Usually the causality is related to issues at home / issues at school / issues of biology+psychology. They have a desire to exit society because it has failed them. The fact that they do "mild"(i.e. more common) drugs before they do "harder" ones is simply common sense on their part. FWIW, these same people would likely fail the cookie test[0]. There is an interesting Ted talk[1] which discusses the correlation between heroin addiction and a feeling of belonging. i.e. if you feel detached from your community you're at risk. And inversely if you're an addict, being accepted into a community is the biggest predictor of successfully overcoming the addiction. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experimen... [1] https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_y...