Experimenting with different drugs and alcohol typically occurs during a person’s teenage or young adult years. There are numerous reasons why an individual experiments with a substance the first time, but the most common is peer pressure. Hanging around with others who use drugs regularly will eventually lead to temptation and then experimentation. In many cases, the experimentation will lead to abuse and eventually dependence or drug addiction. But the question remains, is experimenting with drugs harmful or not?
There are probably two schools of thought about this or at least stout opinions. The more lenient parents may be asking for trouble in the long run, but they oftentimes will let their teenager experiment with something milder and less addictive like marijuana, but this could be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they may decide they do not like how they feel when they are under the influence and that is the end of that. Then there is the other side of the coin. They make smoking it a habit or they continue to experiment with other drugs.
For the individual that decides not to continue because it’s not worth it or they didn’t like it, you could say that this has been a harmless experiment. Conversely, if it doesn’t stop there, that story could have a totally different outcome and one that may be tragic. There are those that contend that experimenting with marijuana will lead to other, more addictive substances. In other words, they see marijuana as a gateway drug.
Determining whether or not experimentation with drugs is harmless involves what the individual does next after that first experience. The way the drug affects them will typically help them determine if they want to continue experimenting, move on to a more powerful substance, or just walk away from drugs completely. Our advice is that if you haven’t tried anything as yet – don’t start! Unfortunately, the curiosity that leads to experimentation may just keep leading to more.
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