Many people have heard of gateway drugs and seen government-sponsored advertisements on television throughout the years that have spoken of the influence that a single drug can lead to a lifetime of abuse. But are gateway drugs real?
What Are Gateway Drugs?
“Gateway drugs” is a term applied to any type of drug that acts as a stepping stone to later using other drugs. In this context, that means any type of drug that leads to another drug.
Theoretically, this means that trying one type of substance or drug could lead you to trying another and another, and eventually working your way to drugs that are the most highly addictive and potentially damaging.
Are Gateway Drugs Real?
Yes, gateway drugs are real. However, it’s important to take into consideration aspects like:
- Environment
- Genetics
- Circumstances
- Substance
For example, marijuana is not necessarily a gateway drug, even if it is portrayed that way, as it does not change the way the brain functions the same way that other drugs do.
In order for a drug to be considered a gateway drug, it has to have a profound enough change in the brain size, structure, and function that leads to issues with impulse control and addiction.
Certain drugs can change the sizes of parts of the brain like the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. The prefrontal cortex is a part of the brain responsible for impulse control and good decision-making. Under normal circumstances, this part of the brain is physically balanced with the amygdala, meaning that they are around the same size so they can balance each other out.
But with gateway drugs, changes are made such that the amygdala gets bigger and the prefrontal cortex physically shrinks. When this area of the brain gets physically smaller, it can’t work as hard as bigger areas like the amygdala. The amygdala is responsible for impulsivity, and it can lead to poor decision-making, such as choosing a more addictive substance like heroin when you are out of your prescription opioids.
There is another way that gateway drugs can affect you: using a drug that may have been mixed with another. The more often you use illegal drugs, the less control you have over the purity of the drug, and this can result in unexpectedly or unintentionally consuming more addictive drugs.
One of the biggest gateway drugs in America is opioids. Opioids are often prescribed for chronic pain or pain management after surgery, but a person may develop a dependence on their opioid medication, leading to the development of an addiction. Over time, that addiction can mean that someone who originally started with a low dose of a prescription opioid might turn to higher doses from other prescriptions and eventually toward illegal opioids like fentanyl and heroin.
Getting Treatment for Addiction
Evidence indicates that some drugs do act as a gateway, particularly things like prescription opioids. If you find yourself addicted to substances like alcohol or opioids, you might need medication-assisted treatment. Medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, can help reduce cravings and lessen withdrawal symptoms.
MAT with The Differents
At The Differents, our team specializes in a wide range of services and addiction treatment programs. One of our treatment services is MAT. As a qualifying facility, our team will work with you to devise a unique treatment plan that incorporates initial detox and subsequent therapy.
Starting with detox, we will provide FDA-approved medications that help to reduce the severity of your withdrawal symptoms. Over-the-counter medications are also used to help keep you as comfortable as possible during this process. Our team will make sure that your vitals are monitored and any changes or potential complications are treated accordingly.
After you get through detox, we will help you transition to your next steps with reimagined treatment programs. Our goal is to incorporate evidence-based practice alongside holistic care to give you a complete mind-body approach to your treatment.
A big part of this is recognizing the factors that may have contributed to starting with gateway drugs and the steps that led from one drug to another. Understanding this process can help you reflect on what changes you might want to make in your lifestyle moving forward.
Overall, gateway drugs can be real, and abusing one substance may often lead to abusing additional substances, which increases your risk of addiction and further complications. However, with the right type of treatment, you can get help for addiction today and start living a happier, healthier life.
Contact our team to learn more about our programs.
