Health
Dangerous ‘gateway drug’ can lead to other substance use, addiction experts warn
A vast majority of American adults say they have consumed alcohol at some point — yet experts warn that alcoholic beverages could be a “gateway drug” to more harmful substances.
More than 84% of adults in the U.S. report having drunk alcohol in their lifetime, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
That same survey found that among underage Americans (12 to 17 years of age), more than 21% had consumed alcohol.
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What is a ‘gateway drug?’
Dr. Kenneth Spielvogel, senior medical officer at Carrara Treatment in California, defined a “gateway drug” as a substance that exposes someone to other drugs.
More than 84% of adults in the U.S. report having drunk alcohol in their lifetime, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. (iStock)
Marijuana is often pegged as a “classic gateway drug,” he told Fox News Digital, as it can lead to cocaine, heroin and other “harder drugs” that present a greater threat to loss of life via impaired driving and other volatile behaviors.
“Alcohol maintains a firm grip on a large portion of the adult population.”
“Any substance that impairs judgment is potentially a gateway drug, in my opinion — however, alcohol is the king of this,” Spielvogel said. “It maintains a firm grip on a large portion of the adult population.”
“I personally have seen the ravages of this — hungover victims turn to meth, cocaine and other drugs for the ‘pick me up’ they feel they need.”
Why alcohol can be a ‘gateway’
For many young people, alcohol is the first substance they try, according to Chris Tuell, a clinical psychotherapist and a chemical and behavioral addiction specialist at the Lindner Center in Mason, Ohio. This makes them more likely to experiment with other drugs later.
“Most people can use alcohol and it does not become problematic — but for some, it is destroying their lives,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Marijuana is often pegged as a “classic gateway drug,” but one expert said that “alcohol is the king” when it comes to impairing judgment. (iStock)
Consumption of alcohol impairs judgment and decision-making, which can lead to riskier behaviors, including trying other substances, Tuell noted.
“Studies indicate that alcohol alters brain chemistry in ways that increase susceptibility to drug addiction,” the expert cautioned.
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Jeremy Klemanski, addiction specialist and CEO of Gateway Foundation in Chicago, echoes his belief that alcohol is a gateway drug.
“We often hear reports from patients that they only use or started using while drinking, or that they were first exposed to alcohol and then tried other drugs for greater physical symptoms and feelings,” he told Fox News Digital.
Research from the National Institute of Drug Abuse suggests that early exposure to alcohol can “prime the brain” for heightened responses to other drugs. (iStock)
“It is also important to note that once a person has used one mind-altering substance, their general thinking skills are impaired on some level,” he went on. “Other things they might not normally do become easier to justify or accept as an idea to act on.”
There is also a neurological element that comes into play, according to Dr. David Campbell, clinical director and program director at Recover Together Bend in Oregon.
“Alcohol affects neurotransmitter systems that are involved in the reward pathways that are similarly targeted by other drugs,” he told Fox News Digital.
Research from the National Institute of Drug Abuse suggests that early exposure to alcohol can “prime the brain” for heightened responses to other drugs, perhaps increasing the risks of the “gateway effect,” Campbell added.
Other factors at play
Experts emphasized that correlation does not equal causation.
“Just because people who use harder drugs often drink alcohol first does not necessarily mean alcohol caused their drug use,” Tuell noted.
“There are few drugs where the sudden stoppage of their use can be deadly — alcohol is one of these,” an addiction specialist warned. (iStock)
Campbell agreed, noting that many “contextual factors and psychosocial stressors” should be considered within the broader context of someone’s life.
“Social environment, stressors, ease and proximity to access, social influences, mental health conditions, childhood trauma, genetics and other biological factors may all play a role,” he told Fox News Digital.
When and how to stop
Spielvogel shared some warning signs that someone may be dependent on alcohol and more susceptible to trying other harmful substances.
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“One sign is if they have ever tried to cut down on their drinking and failed,” he said. “Also, they may be annoyed when asked about their alcohol consumption.”
People with alcohol dependency may also feel guilty when they drink, or they might consume alcoholic beverages in the morning, he added.
“It is very important that if someone has a use disorder, they seek professional help for their detox and recovery.”
Stopping “cold turkey” may not be the healthiest route, Spielvogel cautioned.
“There are few drugs where the sudden stoppage of their use can be deadly — alcohol is one of these,” he said.
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“I cannot stress this enough; it is very important that if someone has a use disorder, they seek professional help for their detox and recovery, whether it’s a private treatment facility or going to a medical professional.”
“Do not do this on your own.”
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A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
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After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
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According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
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“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
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The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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