Pills: The New Gateway Drug?

Marijuana, cigarettes, and alcohol have long been heralded as gateway drugs of choice among young adults. However, over the past several years, society has witnessed the emergence of a particularly lethal form of gateway drugs: pills. More and more young adults are reporting their first use of an illicit substance is not marijuana, alcohol, or even cigarettes. Rather, many addicted young adults are reporting that they first waded into the world of substance abuse by using prescription pills—which often marks the beginning of a rapidly escalating pattern of additional drug use and addiction. One young adult reported, “I began using pills on my 16th birthday. Within nine months, I was using half of an eight ball of cocaine every day.”

Young adults report finding addictive mood-altering medications such as Oxycontin, Xanax, and Ritalin readily available in their parents’ or siblings’ medicine cabinets. These young adults, together with their friends, begin experimenting with prescription medications without regard to their lethal and often highly addictive properties.

Many of the young adults interviewed perceived that the stigma associated with prescription drug abuse is not as strong as it is with the abuse of alcohol or marijuana. One teen remarked, “I knew smoking marijuana was a very bad thing, but pill use seemed somehow normal.” One substance abuse therapist echoed the sentiment, “Many of these kids have grown up seeing a parent or relative use antidepressants or anxiolitics like Xanax. These kids begin to internally normalize the use of pills. Using pills, from their perspective, is not nearly as consequential as smoking marijuana. One teen recently commented, “I have seen my mom use Xanax every day for years. I just didn’t think that if I took a few Oxycontins with my friends it was that big a deal.” Another teen described his father’s pain killer use, “My father was in a car accident about nine years ago. He broke his leg and had to have surgery. He still uses like three different kinds of pain killers a day.”

To avoid detection most teen prescription drug abusers begin buying their pills rather than stealing them from family members. A recovering addict, who used to deal drugs to support his habit, reports, “Over half of my pill customers were under the age of 19.” These adolescents soon discover that the street value for prescription drugs is high. Once the young adults find themselves in the throngs of addiction, they begin to look for the fastest and cheapest high. They quickly learn that street drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and amphetamines produce a “high” more quickly, more potently, and less expensively. One young adult said, “I could get one Oxycontin for 25 bucks. I could get a balloon of heroin for less than that. With that balloon, I could use six or seven times and the high was better.”

While statistics published by Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (UDSAMH) show alcohol as the leading drug for which young adults and adolescents seek treatment, drugs like methamphetamine and heroin are alarmingly close behind. In fact, methamphetamine is the second most abused substance (second only to alcohol by an extremely narrow margin) among adolescents according to UDSAMH data. Marijuana and heroin follow methamphetamine in prevalence. Most of the interviewed recovering addicts, who identified methamphetamine or heroin as their drug of choice, report that their first use of any substance was pills—not alcohol or marijuana. One recovering teen said, “I would never have thought that using alcohol or marijuana was OK. I have never even smoked a cigarette. But somehow I thought that using a pill from time to time was not so bad. I ended up addicted to heroin and morphine.” While these trends are arguably anecdotal, they should still cause pause. They also should prompt us to ask, “What is happening that is contributing to this alarming trend of prescription pill abuse?”

Drug and alcohol use patterns are equally alarming among youth. UDSAMH finds that 6% of youth ages 12 to 17 are dependent on drugs or alcohol, with infinitely more using recreationally. Most alcohol and other drug use begins in the teenage years with 30% of first use occurring prior to age 14, and 56% of first use by age 18. Most addicts report using their drug of choice before they reached age 17. Unfortunately, these youth enter adulthood addicts in need of addiction rehab.

There is hope – People can and do recover from addiction when they obtain effective treatment. At New Roads, our mission is to foster the development of responsible, self-sufficient, contributing, and happy young adults by providing effective and affordable programming in which participants embark upon newer, healthier roads of life. We supplement our experience with the most up-to-date substance abuse therapy models, working not only to eliminate addiction, but also to address some of its triggers—including depression, anxiety, attitude, or other issues.

Our holistic approach to addiction treatment design is based on the most up-to-date research and includes substance abuse counseling, mental health therapy, life coaching, educational consultation, vocational counseling, and other clinical services specifically targeted to the developmental needs of young adults. This holistic model enables autonomy, growth, and success for each individual client and their families. We recognize that progression is different for everyone. And we celebrate every facet of change as it occurs—which keeps our clients engaged in the process and committed to ongoing change.