What's the most common "first gateway drug" that leads to harder drug use?

As in, which substance did people who eventually moved on to using hard drugs have their first "if I use this, it makes me feel good, so I'll have some more, thanks" moment. In other words, which "turned on" their addictive personality which led to them searching out even stronger and stronger highs.

In your experience, of course.

Nipples/Binkys

Nobody had voted for either 8 or 9 yet.

Are we 3 guys?

I never drank a cup of coffee until I was about 17. It's been uphill/downhill/uphill ever since.

I knew a guy years ago who liked speed so much he took to shooting it up his arm.

:shrug: I hear all the time that some drugs lead to using harder drugs, but don't have much experience to say one way or the other how true it is. I tend to not trust studies on this subject because I'm not sure how honest those asked are being.

After that first breath of air, it's all over.

That's a sure gateway to heterosexuality.:rofl:

your testicles will shrink, you'll become impotent, it'll be a downward spiral into hell etc etc. the lies were so far fetched that I just had to try some for myself and when it was seen to not be true, well you know the rest of the story. I tried most all except the needle, I am more afraid of a little needle than I am of my better half. :rofl: and that is the truth.

Are nicotine and caffeine and sugar, then softer drugs?
Do marijuana, cocaine, heroin, meth, LSD and crack all do the same thing only some are more powerful/addicting than others?

I think, almost every drug user probably starts with cigarettes simply because they are more readily available and quasi-legal. I knew kids who were smoking by age 10, but how is it a "gateway drug" if so many smokers do not go on to use other drugs other than alcohol?

There was a time when cocaine wasn't considered a 'hard' drug, but now it is. I've heard a few stories about some people who put things like LSD in their marijuana. Does that make the joint the harder drug or is LSD softer unless it's taken another way?

Is it classified by legality, medically or what? The way some have carried on about marijuana, you'd think it would be classified as a hard drug.

Alcohol can have just as devastating effects on a person as other drugs such as cocaine, but it's not considered a hard drug. This seems contradictory to me.

It's confusing to me. That's probably because the messages we're sent about drugs, legal and illegal both, is such a mixed one.

:shrug: