what is a gateway drug?
The 3 Gateways to Drug Addiction. It is very rare that a person tries heroin or cocaine as the first experience with drugs. Instead, most people who do try drugs have already been using a âgateway drugâ for some time leading up to that point. A gateway drug is one which serves to open the door to using harder drugs. Nicotine. For many people smoking cigarettes is just another thing they do, similar to drinking coffee.