By 
Although most people who use contraband substances may not develop substance dependence problems, the risk of addiction reigns high. It is essential to figure out exactly how substance use develops into substance abuse. David Salvage, M.D., FAPM, helps eliminate substance abuse in Park Slope by assisting patients in understanding the cause of their addiction and avoiding triggers. The two theories that explain the development of substance use to abuse are:
- The gateway model
This theory states that some substances act as gateway drugs, meaning that they can lead to the use of other more dangerous substances. Alcohol and cigarettes would be a gateway that leads to marijuana use, which is itself a gateway for heavier drug use. Early experience with less dangerous substances can lead to the use of more hazardous substances later on. And the implication of all of this seems to be that if you can prevent people, specifically teens and preteens, from experimenting with smoking, drinking, and marijuana use, they will never move on to harder drugs. This is the basis of a lot of anti-drug programs targeting preteens.
- The continuum model
Correlation does not imply causation. Just because individuals tend to follow a specific path for drug use does not mean that one causes the other. It could be that there is a third factor. Rather than saying that one drug leads to the use of another, this theory states that a change in the pattern of substance use is what moves someone from use to abuse. It could be a change in the substance used, availability of the substance, or consequences of substance use. This theory also holds that there is no one direct pattern from substance use to substance abuse. Instead, there were many twists and turns along the way that lead to substance abuse. A user can interact with a drug once, and although he intends not to use it again, he finds himself in a social situation that causes him to use it. Although using only on specific social situation and only when another party brings the drugs is non-problem use, life changes can lead to increased use which can cause a user to become an abuser.
This theory is pretty clear in its statement that addiction is a process. It is not something that happens right away. Someone cannot move from a single-use directly to problem use, instead, they have to pass through non-problem use first. And one other essential part of this theory is that it holds that this cycle is repeated individually for each substance.
This model is very different from the gateway theory, which holds that using one substance can lead to another substance because, in this model, you consider each substance individually. Because of this, this continuum model winds up being a lot more complicated than the gateway model. Still, it might be a more realistic way of looking at how people move from use to abuse because it has this added complexity.
If you are struggling with substance abuse, seek help by contacting the office of David Salvage, M.D., FAPM, who will support you throughout your journey to sobriety.
Comments