Over here at AfterParty, we receive an onslaught of questions from people about addiction and recovery. And well, our video series AfterParty Answers gives us an opportunity to address them. In this episode, Anna David and Danielle Stewart examine past AfterParty stories to answer a reader’s question: is pot a gateway drug?
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While there’s some debate (as well as some discussion about Danielle’s sexy, off-shoulder shirt), ultimately they conclude that the whole concept of pot being the first step on the road to crack, meth and everything else is a myth: they talk about a story which reported that alcohol is actually the main gateway but that it’s more about when a person first starts experimenting than it is with the actual substance. Essayist Lisa Smith, after all, wrote about how her real gateway was food. Still, they also discuss how some research has indicated that marijuana use sensitizes the brain to drugs, thereby creating a desire for more drugs, which would prompt a pot smoker, or even a drinker and smoker, to move on to other things.
There are, of course, many nuances to this query. So if you want our complete answer, check out this vid. While the girls aren’t in any way medical professions (emphasis on “aren’t in any way medical professionals”), they are sober folks who have not only grappled with some of the issues being asked about but have also written scads of articles for this very site on them. Tune in every Wednesday to see what you, our faithful readers, want to know.
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