Exploring the

Prevention of
Substance Use and
Abuse (Gateway
Drugs and Alcohol)
A gateway drug is a habit-forming drug that can lead
to the use of other, more addictive drugs. The theory
that consuming "softer" drugs can lead to using
stronger substances has existed for decades.
Studies suggest that this transition is real. Educating
youths and identifying treatment options can help
them avoid and overcome drug use.
 The gateway drug effect is a
comprehensive catchphrase for the often
observed effect that the use of a
psychoactive drug is coupled to an
increased probability of the use of further
drugs.
 Alcohol
 Alcohol is a liquid produced by fermentation.
Alcohol is a depressant drug. This means that it
slows down activity of the central nervous
system and the messages going between the
brain and the body.
 Cigarette
 A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing
psychoactive material, typically tobacco, that
is rolled into thin paper for smoking.
 Smoking causes cancer, heart disease,
stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
which includes emphysema and chronic
bronchitis.
 Reasons of involving to Gateway
Drugs
1. Peer pressure is the direct influence
on people by peers, or the effect on
an individual who is encouraged
and wants to follow their peers by
changing their attitudes, values or
behaviors to conform to those of the
influencing group or individual.
2. Removing problems or tensions
could be one of the reason why
people use alcohol and other drugs
for a variety of temporarily escaping
from life’s burdnen.
 Reasons why people are
tempted and enticed to smoke:
Peer Pressure

1 Anyone who has gone through a

teenager phase will be highly aware of
the social and psychological toll it can
take on an adolescent to fit in or be
deemed “cool” at school.
Parental Influence

2 Parental relationships are vital to a child

who is still growing up. Therefore, when a child
grows up in a home where they have regular
encounters with a smoking parent, the child’s
odds of starting smoking doubles as compared
to a child brought up by non-smokers.
Media Influence

3 As initially stated, the media is a

powerful tool and plays a significant role
in portraying the image of a smoker. This
is a common occurrence worldwide and
throughout different time periods.
Genetic Factors

4 A study has shown that a co-dependency

on drugs may be genetic. The research
involves an addiction to nicotine, which is an
active ingredient in tobacco products like
cigarettes.
Stress Factors

5 Some people start smoking to numb

themselves to relieve their stress. While
cigarettes can do quite well in the short term
to numb yourself, they may cause you to
smoke even more solely because nicotine is
so addictive.
How does smoking affect the body?

Lung damage
 Smoking cigarettes affects lung health because
a person breathes in not only nicotine but also a
variety of additional chemicals.
 Cigarettes are responsible for a substantial
increase in the risk of developing lung cancer.
This risk is 25 times greater for men and 25.7
times greater for women.
 Heart disease
 Smoking cigarettes can damage the heart, blood
vessels, and blood cells.
 The chemicals and tar in cigarettes can increase
a person’s risk of atherosclerosis, which is the
buildup of plaque in the blood vessels. This
buildup limits blood flow and can lead to
dangerous blockages.
 3. Fertility problems
 Smoking cigarettes can damage a female’s
reproductive system and make it more difficult to
get pregnant. This may be because tobacco and
the other chemicals in cigarettes affect hormone
levels.
 In males, the more cigarettes a person smokes
and the longer they smoke for, the higher the
risk of erectile dysfunction. Smoking can also
affect the quality of the sperm and therefore
reduce fertility.
Risk of type 2 diabetes
 The CDC report that people who smoke regularly
have a 30–40 percent higher risk of
developing type 2 diabetes than those who do
not.
 Smoking can also make it more difficult for
people with diabetes to manage their condition.
 Weakened immune system
 Smoking cigarettes can weaken a person’s
immune system, making them more susceptible
to illness.
 It can also cause additional inflammation in the
body.
Vision problems

 Smoking cigarettes can cause eye problems,

including a greater risk of cataracts and age-
related macular degeneration.
 Other vision problems related to smoking
include:
 dry eyes
 Glaucoma
 diabetic retinopathy
Poor Oral Hygiene
 People who smoke have double the risk of gum
disease. This risk increases with the number of
cigarettes a person smokes.
 Symptoms of gum disease include:
 swollen and tender gums
 bleeding when brushing
 loose teeth
 sensitive teeth
Smoking tobacco can limit a person’s ability to
taste and smell things properly. It can also stain
the teeth yellow or brown.
Unhealthy skin and hair
 Smoking tobacco can affect a person’s skin and
hair. A person who smokes may experience
prematurely aged, wrinkled skin. They also have
a higher risk of skin cancer, “especially on the
lips.”
 Smoking can cause the hair and skin to smell of
tobacco. It can also contribute to hair loss and
balding.
Risk of other cancers
 In addition to the well-documented link with lung
cancer, smoking cigarettes can also contribute to
other forms of cancer.
 The American Cancer Society report that
cigarette smoking causes 20–30
percent of pancreatic cancers.
 People who smoke are also three times as
likely to develop bladder cancer than people who
do not.
 Facts about Smoking &
Using Tobacco
On average, the life expectancy of a
smoker is 10 years less than a
nonsmoker.
Cigarette smoke contains more than
7,000 chemicals, 70 of which are known
to cause cancer.
Nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start before
the age of 18 and almost all
start smoking by age 26.
 END