Smoking and Substance Abuse Relation: Is Tobacco a Gateway for Substance Abuse?

Substance abuse is among the biggest cultural, social and health dilemmas in the current world. Control and reduction of factors that enhance substance abuse may be helpful in this respect. This study evaluated the effect of tobacco smoking on the tendency to substance abuse.In this cross-sectional study, 1,372 records of clients presenting for substance abuse treatment were evaluated in terms of tobacco smoking status and other related factors. Data were statistically analyzed.A total of 1,306 males (95.2%) and 66 (4.8%) females were evaluated. More than 90% of participants were tobacco smokers. The highest frequency of smoking initiation was in the age group of 16-20 yrs. The mean age of smoking onset was 19.2±5.6 years with a mode of 18 years. Meanwhile, the mean age of substance abuse onset was 21.3± 7.1 years with a mode of 20 years. A significant association between the initiation age of smoking and substance abuse onset were found.Tobacco smoking can be a predisposing factor for substance abuse. This association necessitates the precise implementation of tobacco control policies and preventive measures and emphasizes on smoking cessation at early ages.