European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

GATEWAY TO ADDICTIVE DISORDERS – A CASE REPORT

Dr. Amitabh Saha*, Dr. Amit Chail and Dr. Sojan Baby

ABSTRACT

Addiction as a disorder has become a epidemic. T scourges cities, capitals, countries and continents. Nicotine is the most commonly used licit psychoactive substance.[1] According to the National Household Survey of Drug Abuse (NHSDA) in India sponsored by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (Government of India) and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) tobacco is the most commonly used psychoactive substance, with 56% ever used and 53.8% used in the last 30 days. It is the leading cause of mortality among psychoactive substances (WHO, 2002).[2] Cigarette smoking has become a fashion/ style statement. Nicotine is long known to be a gateway drug for further addictions. Previous studies reported increased rates of illicit drug use related to frequency of cigarette smoking by high school seniors, and inferred that cigarette smoking by children and adolescents can act as a ―gateway drug,‖ use of which increased the likelihood of using illicit drug.[3] We present a case of young old auto-rickshaw driver residing in an urban slum in Western India who started smoking cigarette in his pre-adolescent years and finally graduating to multiple illicit substances of abuse and high risk sexual behaviours.

Keywords: Addiction as a disorder has become behaviours.