Is tobacco the first step on the long road to addiction perdition? Many experts, myself included, certainly believe so. As a counselor for both in-class and online drug classes as well as tobacco classes, I see first-hand how many of my students use, or have used, tobacco products.
Keep in my mind, all of my students are in attendance due to a drug or tobacco-related incident. Therefore, all of my tobacco students have had at least one incident involving authority due to the use of tobacco products. A few students were sent to my classroom by their parents who caught them smoking. Others were arrested for underage consumption of tobacco. While the legal drinking age of 21 is bandied about all the time, some people actually are unaware that you have to be least 18 years old to consume tobacco products in the United States.
In a survey of my last two classes of 48 students, an astounding 87,5% - 42- either used or had been regular users of tobacco. All 48 had at least used tobacco at some point.
If you didn’t think of nicotine as a gateway drug when you starting reading this blog has your mind changed? You cannot argue with the facts. Tobacco use drastically increases the likelihood of more serious drugs in the future.
It is best to never start using any recreational drug – alcohol and tobacco included. If you or someone you care about has a problem with nicotine or drugs please take a drug class. There are also tobacco classes that address that particular addiction.