The whole idea of a 'gateway'

[Fluidic Kimbo]

I want to talk about this whole idea of a 'gateway', in the context of the following sample sentence:

Cannabis is the gateway drug

The term 'gateway' in this context of course comes from its original meaning in a physical context, where a gateway is a physical gap in a wall where people can walk through. It's the point where people can enter from one place into another place. The gateway is the threshold from one area into another area.



You commonly hear that cannabis is the "gateway drug". What people mean by this is that people who are unwilling to taken ecstasy, cocaine, LSD, heroin, etc., become willing to do so after having taken cannabis for the first time. So the idea here is that cannabis is like a threshold you walk past, and that once you've walked past that threshold, all of a sudden there a new possibilities that were previously implausible.

I've watched Michael Moore's documentary on the Columbine shooting of 1999 probably a dozen times. A father of one of the victims blames Marilyn Manson, he says that kids and teenagers listen to that music and it motivates them to do evil things. Of course though, only a very small percentage of Marilyn Manson fans kill people, but the deceased child's father made this point:

"Does everyone who sees an ad for Lexus go out and buy a Lexus? No, but some do"

In similar fashion to how some people buy a Lexus after seeing a Lexus ad, some people go on to take ecstasy after taking cannabis. Not every person who's ever taken cannabis goes on to take other drugs. It would make more sense if the term 'gateway' had to always be accompanied by a percentage value. For example:

"Cannabis is the 60% gateway drug"

which could be taken to mean:

"In people who were previously unwilling to take any drugs, if they take cannabis for the first time, then 60% of those people will become willing to take another drug"

Similarly we can say:

"3% of people who see an ad for Lexus go out and buy a Lexus".

In a previous post of mine here on the forum a few days ago, I made the claim that most drug users don't realise that alcohol was the 'gateway intoxicant', and I now want to elaborate further on what I meant by this.

First of all, do all drinkers of alcohol go on to take drugs? No they don't, but some do. I of course realise that there are people alive today in their 50's in America who have only ever drank alcohol and never taken cannabis or any prescription drug or illegal drug, I realise that those people exist.

But I want to touch on what an 'intoxicant' is and what it does. An intoxicant, such as alcohol, Xanax, cannabis, is something we ingest into our body, it makes its way to our brain and it changes how we think and how we feel. With the changing of how we think and how we feel, there can be immense relief from the pressures and turmoil of life. I don't condemn anyone for not being able to cope in life, it can be pretty shitty in here. Also the effect of a drug can simply be fun, either directly by its effect on the brain, or indirectly by its humorous effects on other's behaviour (e.g. laughing at your friend's drunken antics singing at a karaoke night).

I myself had my first beer -- actually it was 3 bottles of beer -- at the age of 14, and it was my older sister who bought them for me. I learned something new that day, but first I want to give you a comparison:

Very few people nowadays are able to double-clutch in their car. Cars nowadays have a synchroniser on the gears in the gearbox, and this means that you don't have to synchronise the layshaft with the driveshaft before enaging a new gear. This means that you don't have to double-clutch. So people don't bother learning how to double-clutch anymore, because they don't have to.

What's the point in learning how to regulate your emotions if you don't have to? When I was 14 I realised I could drink 3 bottles of beer and then all of a sudden, there was no need for me to regulate myself. No need to pay daily attention to how I think and feel, no need to keep tabs on myself. And there was more psychological aftermath that led on from this, such as a lack of nervousness around new people in unfamiliar places. Once I had taken an intoxicant for the first time, I formed the idea in my head that I don't have to bother painstakingly regulating my thoughts and feelings day to day. And so I ask again, what's the point in learning how to regulate your emotions if you don't have to?

This is why I call alcohol the 'gateway intoxicant', as it's the first thing a person encounters in their life that makes them form the idea in their head that they don't need to bother managing their feelings.

I haven't looked at statistics for drug use among alcohol-free communities, but I've gotten a little familiar with such people in the town where I now live, as there are a few churches here that are alcohol-free. Some of these alcohol-free guys are away the fairies -- in particular some of the pentecostal churches -- but one or two of the churches are made up of some very sensible, disciplined people -- people who have to regulate their emotions every day because it's a necessity.

And there's the last thing I want to say about this. For some people living their own personal variety on the human condition, alcohol may be what's keeping them sane and steady. I'm not a advocate for taking alcohol and cigarettes out of every community, because I know that that can just cause further instability. And another thing: Just because a person can regulate their emotions doesn't necessarily mean that they're a nice person. There have been some very disciplined and diligent murderers, child molesters, and every kind of bad behaviour you can think of.

In the grand scheme of things though, being able to regulate your emotions is a plus.

[lovbyts]

STOP, this whole gateway thing is stupid. Fine then the first piece of candy is the gateway of eating bad food and becoming obese.

I didnt even bother to read past the first line of gibberish.

[Fluidic Kimbo]

STOP, this whole gateway thing is stupid. Fine then the first piece of candy is the gateway of eating bad food and becoming obese.

I didnt even bother to read past the first line of gibberish.

I think the jist of it all is in these two summaries:

1) Some behaviours tend to lead to other behaviours
2) Some observances lead to certain behaviours

Example of No. 1 = Taking cannabis and then going on to take cocaine

Example of No. 2 = Seeing an ad for Lexus and going out and buying a Lexus

I know the entire discussion can get a bit tedious when people are blaming a mass murder on music, or saying not to eat 3 Mars bars a week because you might get obese, but there definitely are some behaviours that lead to other behaviours.

[Cuz]

You really gave yourself away with this one. Nice job

[songdog]

I agree with Lovbyts

[Honkey_Kong]

You really gave yourself away with this one. Nice job

Yeah, we all knew that was one of his sock accounts. This confirmed it

[Fluidic Kimbo]

Yeah, we all knew that was one of his sock accounts. This confirmed it

Tell me which account you think is me.

I haven't posted as anything other than 'Fluidic Kimbo' for a few years now.

[Cylon357]

I'm just going to put this right here

[wango]

I'm just going to put this right here

Towlie! So He’s the other account?!? This is really baffling.

[Fluidic Kimbo]

Seriously if you think I'm posting under another name here then tell me the name.

I only ever posted under other names years ago because I kept getting banned. I've been 'Fluidic Kimbo' for a few years now. I think my last name was 'Kai Lover' but that's going back maybe 2 or 3 years.