Dail Mail - Coffee and energy drink lovers 'more likely to become drug addicts'

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edgarshade

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By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 9:18 AM on 11th October 2011

With reader comments
Young people who love drinking coffee or other high-energy drinks are more likely to get hooked on drugs, say scientists. A study found those who respond favourably to caffeine also enjoyed the effects of amphetamines and cocaine - especially in high doses. The researchers warned parents of such consumers to take heed that these sorts of drinks could present more than just obesity risk. They aren't saying everyone who enjoys caffeine will abuse cocaine but suggest a vulnerability to the stimulating effects of cocaine or amphetamines.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...-energy-drink-lovers-likely-drug-addicts.html
 
Does make sense, the gateway theory is not completely untrue - one of the reasons I have experimented with drugs is because I find Alcohol so unsatisfactory. I guess alcohol was the gateway drug for me.

But I must ask one question...

What is it with the Daily Mail and drug articles at the moment? Seems like 80-90% of all the UK articles in this section of bluelight are from the Daily Mail. How many anti-Alcohol articles do they write?
 
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"People who enjoy stimulants more likely to become addicted to stimulants". No shit.
 
Vader said:
"People who enjoy stimulants more likely to become addicted to stimulants". No shit.
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Yeah it seems pretty obvious, I always wonder who actually sits down and decides to fund a study on what should be common sense :|
 
clubberdude said:
Does make sense, the gateway theory is not completely untrue
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I don't entirely agree. The data here simply shows that those who enjoy caffeine are more likely to enjoy other stimulants because they are physiologically sensitive to stimulants. If they were caffeine virgins (Mormon or something) they'd still have the capacity to enjoy caffeine.

The gateway hypothesis is not as convincing as the hypothesis that some people get more enjoyment from drugs than other people do. That would explain why little Johnny started using cocaine after smoking weed for a year: he would've probably started snorting coke anyway, because he is hard-wired to like drugs.
 
I don't understand why newswriters and the average joe don't understand why their view of the "gateway theory" is ass-backwards. Coffee and energy drinks don't make a person learn to like stimulants and go seek out amphetamines and cocaine. The person was going to like stimulants no matter what, and because they are more likely to encounter coffee and energy drinks much sooner in life, of course they will do them first! If we lived in a completely different world, they could just as well be making the ridiculous claim that cocaine and amphetamines cause people to start using energy drinks and coffee.

Same with weed as a "gateway drug". Person is predisposed to like altered states of consciousness. Weed is arguably the most accessible drug. Surprise - weed is the first drug they do!
 
^I've actually seen footage from a 60s documentary talking about how high-schoolers start out on "pep pills" (amphetamine) before "graduating to marijuana".
 
100% of addicts were raised on bread and water, let's ban bread and water. Bread and water consumption is a marker for abuse of stimulants, dissociatives, opioids, cannabinoids, depressants, deleriants, psychedelics, psychotogens, antipsychotics, diuretics, steroids, painkillers, painbringers, deathbringers, flatliners, laughers, screamers, uppers, downers, benzos, barbs, alcohol, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, anxiogenics, anklets, aniseed, Apple computers, assault firearms, Anacin, and ankhs. Realistically, let's look into banning breathabale gases too; that's an excellent way to prevent addicts from getting more drugs. Perhaps we should ban limbs too, or liver cells, because they're really like tiny meth labs in there.

Ban the cytochrome P450! Metabolism is for narco terrorists!
 
it seems like to me the "gateway theory" has more to do with the illegality of the drugs in question. a kid grows up being told all drugs are bad and not to do them. but curiosity always wins so the kid tries something like weed. which we all know is pretty harmless in moderation. well this same kid starts to wonder, weed is schedule one?!?! well so is cocaine and meth?!?!?! if they lied about weed then they probably lied about everything else! so they try other things and sometimes become addicted. so weed itself is not a gateway drug. its really the laws that we have in place that cause it unless otherwise informed about the truth that the government has lied about
 
Vader said:
^I've actually seen footage from a 60s documentary talking about how high-schoolers start out on "pep pills" (amphetamine) before "graduating to marijuana".
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Unstated context: amphetamines were way more common back then. Doctors would prescribe them for weight loss, depression, frigidity, fatigue, and just about everything else. A kid would be able to find amphetamines as easily then as they can find vicodin today.

The point still stands that the gateway effect is merely an observation of availability rather than some inevitable progression of intensity. A tweaker had caffeine before he started his meth habit? No shit, I can grab a coffee or a coke in five minutes, and I don't have to get it from some shady motherfucker with a gun in an alley.
 
" the GATEWAY" idea is kinda f'd up...sure its possible that smoking pot "THE gateway drug" may make you want to to try different drugs and experiment but i think really it has more to do with the simple idea that once you start experimenting with drugs..you are more likely to be around people who use and sell and the likely hood that you may be exposed to other people who use different types of drugs is simply increased.
But the difference with coffee/energy drinks is that there isn't really a "social context" surrounding their consumption..you can go to a store and legally buy an energy drink and the process ends there..buying and using drugs is different.
Now before someone gets mad..thats just my opinion and im sure there are people who's pot use alone has made them more curious about using other drugs, but i think overall the correlation between that "gateway" drug and heavier use has more to do with social factors then the substance itself.
 
I think the gateway effect is more based on the fact that people find out that smoking weed not only does not "fry your brain", but that it is actually quite pleasant. They realize that the government has spewed lies about drugs, and that they had fallen for the propaganda - until now.
"So, if weed is not bad, I wonder what other drugs are like? Maybe even better?"

The "gateway" effect is simply people realizing that the government is not to be trusted.
 
slimvictor said:
I think the gateway effect is more based on the fact that people find out that smoking weed not only does not "fry your brain", but that it is actually quite pleasant. They realize that the government has spewed lies about drugs, and that they had fallen for the propaganda - until now.
"So, if weed is not bad, I wonder what other drugs are like? Maybe even better?"

The "gateway" effect is simply people realizing that the government is not to be trusted.
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I think this is true. At least, this is the way it felt to me. I started with acid, and when I found out that it was actually NICE, and when I emerged the next morning sane and oriented to all spheres, I felt like everything was suddenly kosher.
 
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