Posts Tagged National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA)

Is cigarette a drug? The obvious answer is “NO”. But cigarette smoking has a direct influence on alcohol and other drug use. Can you ever think of a marijuana or a heroin user who has never smoked cigarette? Drug abuse and alcoholism has been a source of major concern for ages. Today young people are being exposed to drugs at a very tender age. Most of us are concerned with addiction to marijuana, heroin, cocaine, prescription drugs and others. But why do we overlook nicotine? It is high time that we deal teenage and adolescent smoking professionally. Since nicotine exposure at an early age increases the vulnerability of other drug use.

Tobacco has often been termed as a “GATEWAY DRUG” since it is the first substance consumed by the teenagers.

Studies conducted to find the origins of alcoholism and addiction to other drugs have indicated that smoking facilitates drug abuse. According to National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA), nicotine makes adolescents vulnerable to alcohol and drug addiction by affecting the structural and chemical changes in the brain. As compared to teenagers who do not smoke, smokers are 9 times more likely to meet the medical criteria for past year drug alcohol abuse and 13 times more likely to meet the criteria for drug abuse. In a press release, the Jr. Chairman and President of CASA said, “Smoking by teens may well signal the fire of alcohol and other drug abuse and mental illnesses like depression and anxiety disorders”. One of the studies found that those who started smoking before 12 years of age were 3 times more vulnerable than non-smokers to binge drink, 13 times more likely to smoke marijuana and 7 times more prone to use heroin, cocaine.

Spread the message. Reach out to children. Talk to them about the ill-effects of smoking. Help them in making healthy choices.