Gateway Drugs and Manifestation of Substance Abuse in Adolescents

DQ7 T2
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DQ7 T2
I believe there is support for the claim that ‘‘using alcohol, marijuana, or other seemingly ‘minor’ drugs is a gateway to stronger, more lethal drugs and addictions. From a neurobiology perspective, these drugs target the brain’s reward system by increasing dopamine concentration in the circuit (Uhl et al., 2019). Dopamine is a brain’s neurotransmitter that regulates emotions, feelings, and pleasure. Stimulating the reward system regularly with alcohol, marijuana, or other minor drugs produces euphoric effects that dwarf those produced by naturally rewarding behaviors (Uhl et al., 2019). These euphoric effects strongly reinforce a person’s drug use behavior – teaching the user to rely on the substance or opt for stronger, more lethal drugs. Simply put, a high concentration of dopamine can lead to addiction, and the mentioned drugs can hijack the pleasure or reward system in one’s brain, driving them into wanting more and more. Repeated use of such drugs can als...