Alcohol could be the Real Gateway Drug
During the last several generations, weed has been dubbed the “gateway drug” that lots of children use and later go on to start using a lot more dangerous narcotics such as cocaine or heroin. Yet a new study out of the University of Florida has found evidence that alcohol is more likely the gateway drug. Most children acquire an alcohol dependency before they ever establish a serious addiction to drugs. This particular study was conducted at a University of Florida alcohol detox center, and it found that more than 72 percent of the drug addicts surveyed had admitted to drinking alcohol as teens, while only forty three percent noted they smoked weed as children. Check out https://www.thewatershed.com/resource/florida-alcohol-detoxification/ for more information on Florida alcohol detox.
The Study
Researchers at the University of Florida used a sample size of over fourteen thousand high school seniors from 10 dozen high schools in the United States to gather all the information they utilized. The research primarily focused on the high school seniors that described using drugs like cocaine, crystal meth, heroin and LSD. After that it took those individuals and assessed precisely what the very first drug they used was. Much more often than not it was alcohol instead of cannabis that the teen had first used.
Alcohol as a Gateway
Most likely, the main reason why alcohol is the first drug used by teens, is simply because it is quite easy to get ahold of. Many children can easily take alcohol from their parents by simply taking it out from the refrigerator or liquor cabinet. If that strategy is not successful, children can easily still obtain alcohol by simply asking an older brother or relative to buy some for them. Teens are certainly capable of finding alcohol if they apply even a small amount of effort towards it. When they begin drinking at such an early age, they’re much more likely to advance on to more serious narcotics as adults, finding alcohol isn’t going to provide them with the same sensation it did initially, and seeking to expand their horizons.
Addiction and Dependence
As kids begin to test out alcohol from a very early age, they can simply become addicted to the substance. Alcohol affects the brain in such a way that when it is abused too much, the body will develop a dependence on it and the affected individual will feel sick and have trouble sleeping if they don’t have alcohol. The withdrawals tend to be serious if the habit is formed at a really early age. Teens are very prone to addiction to alcohol as well as other drugs.
As the research done by the University of Florida alcohol detox team illustrates, alcohol is likely a more damaging substance than weed. Weed has always been referred to as the gateway drug, however the majority of children are using alcohol long before they ever use weed. Alcohol addiction can damage a child’s life and push them to use harder narcotics like crack, heroin, crystal meth or LSD once they develop into adults. More programs really should focus on preventing childhood addiction to alcohol rather than pursuing a witch hunt for teenagers using weed. Check out https://www.thewatershed.com/admissions-2/alcoholism-is-a-disease/ for more information.