Do you trust your child’s judgment and allow them to do basically whatever they want because they are still your perfect little angel or even allow them to drink alcohol occasionally? Imagine how many parents you have judged or will frown upon whether you know them or not because their children are “trouble makers:” violent, breaking the law, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or marijuana, or even using other illicit drugs. Oh, that could never be your precious baby, right? All these years and someone who was once so perfect (and to you they still are and always will be), it’s nearly impossible to imagine such a perfect being doing such imperfect things. However, those “trouble makers” were all at some point just as innocent as the next child. Reality is life happens, and every child in this world is influenced by one thing or another, just like you were. No matter how perfect you think your child may be or how desperately you want to protect them from the world’s evils, it is impossible to be with your child at all times and ensure that they are being as perfect as you think they are. Although you put your faith in your children, the things that they do behind your back (maybe partying, sex, etc.) or that first drink that you initiated can provide a gateway to many unimaginable things such as crime or illicit drug use.
Although many people may disagree with the existence and path of the “gateway theory,” alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are commonly associated with the “gateway drug theory,” which implies that the use of less harmful drugs may lead to a future risk of using more dangerous drugs and/or crime. However, the risk is much greater in adolescence because they are much more influenced by social factors than any other age demographic, and the foundation of drug use is at psychosocial level. According to information collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2009, the survey revealed: of children in the U.S. between the ages of 12 and 17, 14.7% were alcohol users, 8.9% were tobacco users, 7.3% were marijuana users, and 10% were illicit drug users. What if your child is one of those numbers? Do you even know? Although there are different alleged gateway paths, the most common gateway path begins with the initiation of alcohol at an early age.
The primary factors for alcohol use are based mostly upon one’s age and environment. Alcohol use is extremely common amongst adolescence, and the first drink usually comes from home (you probably remember sneaking into the liquor cabinet as an adolescent). That single drink, whether parents know about it or not, can be the start of a devastating path to crime, other drug use, or even physical consequences. Nearly every adolescent is interested in their first drink, whether it is because they see family members drinking or their peers. It is likely to be the first stage of the gateway path because drinking in general is a natural everyday routine, and alcohol is just another substance (like a new pop) that adolescents find interesting because they’re not supposed to have it. After initiating that first euphoric phase from intoxication, drinking will likely become a habit. As a result of alcohol boosting confidence, while under the influence, an adolescent is likely to engage in criminal behavior (possibly for the first time). For example, in 1999, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health revealed that “26 percent of youths who had participated in a serious fight at school or work during the past year reported past month use of alcohol compared with 14 percent of youths who had not participated in a serious fight at school or work during the past year” (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). After repeated alcohol use, adolescents (maybe even your baby) begin to associate with older individuals who have regular access to alcohol, and therefore, the access to cigarettes come about. Of the nearly 15% total adolescent drinkers, approximately 75% smoked cigarettes (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).
Now someone’s once perfect child is indulging in criminal behavior, drinking alcohol, and smoking cigarettes! Could they be yours? Imagine that, but there’s more. The nicotine in tobacco is addictive, more-so psychologically than physically, and presents the psychological feeling of “I need it to survive” and the feeling of drug craving, which can later encourage potential “hard drug” usage. Besides the introduction to partying, sex, drinking, criminal behavior, and cigarette smoking, at this point, an adolescent’s primary focus changes from school to social issues, which increases the risk of dropping out of high school. Since alcohol and tobacco have already been incorporated into that adolescent’s life, he/she doesn’t have much more to fear. “I’m going to go to the library and study with my friends” is a common excuse for adolescents to leave the house, but now it won’t just be to get drunk or smoke a cigarette. This time he/she is going to smoke marijuana with so-called “friends” since the fear of smoking for the first time has been broken with cigarettes. For them, it’s not a big deal because they’ve already smoked before, and someone that they trust is doing it, which in their eyes, they’re just fine (children don’t think of potential risks). The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) has conducted research that allowed them to conclude: “Of teens who have tried marijuana once, 20 percent are current cigarette smokers. Of teens who are repeat marijuana users, 43 percent are current cigarette smokers” (118). Unfortunately, at this point, anger, violence, crime, depression, social withdrawal, and a high lack of interest in education and family unnoticeably slip their way into that child’s life along with the marijuana that they anticipated to be cool and innocent fun.
Now, a parent doesn’t even know who their child is anymore—doesn’t know their so-called “friends,” where they’re actually going, or what they’re truly doing. Constant fighting at home now exists along with the holes in the walls accented with shattered picture frames and a parent’s broken heart and tears. Mommy and Daddy want to help this disaster, but they don’t know where to even start. How could they allow this to get so far without even noticing? They awarded too much trust without following their children’s actions to see if they are truly trustworthy. He/she is using marijuana more and more because it relieves “pain,” but what continues to go unnoticed is how that pain came about: drugs, leading from one to another. Now that there’s a somewhat broken home and the pain and depression increases daily, marijuana is no longer suppressing the pain like it was; the high is not the same. However, that child knows someone who can “help” them out. This is when “hard drugs” come in to the picture. In 2008, of the adolescent marijuana smokers who were admitted to substance abuse treatment, approximately 20% also admitted to the use of other illicit drugs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). The order of illicit drug use would likely be based upon familiarization to a certain extent: smoking (other substances), eating pills, snorting, and then intravenous injection. Furthermore, a higher level of crime surfaces for coping and habit supporting purposes.
From alcohol, to tobacco, to marijuana, to “hard” drug usage, and violence, a gateway path not only exists; it lives but survives in a precise order based on not just age but environment. No parent in their right mind wants to see their child go through anything like that. According to SAMHSA, in 2008 of children who were admitted for substance abuse treatment the most common age of substance initiation was at 13 years old, but there were also some reports of children using substances before the age of 7. The existing gateway drug path is based initially on environmental factors and leads to a foundation of solely psychological factors, such as depression. Know the signs; know where to look for answers. A child’s life depends on it.
Works Cited
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. “Cigarette Smoking
Among Teens Is a Gateway to Marijuana Use.” Opposing Viewpoints: Gateway Drugs. Ed. Noël
Merino. Greenhaven Press, 2008. 116-20. Print
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “The NHSDA Report: Youth Violence
Linked to Substance Abuse.” Office of Applied Studies. Department of Health and Human Services, 31 December 2008. N. pag. Web. 5 August 2011.
---. “The TEDS Report: Substance Abuse Treatment Admission Aged 12 to 14.” Office of Applied Studies.
Department of Health and Human Services, 18 May 2010. N. pag. Web. 5 August 2011.
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