The ‘common underlying liability’ model

The gateway hypothesis and the idea of common underlying liability represent two competing models to explain the relationship that is observed between different addictions and addictive behaviours.^[1] Within the former model, initial substance use acts as a gateway to the use of subsequent, ‘harder’ drugs, whereas the latter model focusses on the common underlying risk factors that are shared between several different forms of addiction.^[1]

Reference:
[1] Vanyukov MM, Tarter RE, Kirillova GP, et al. Common liability to addiction and “gateway hypothesis”: theoretical, empirical and evolutionary perspective. Drug Alcohol Depend 2012; 123 (Suppl 1): S3–17.

[2] Vanyukov MM. There is no causality in the ‘gateway hypothesis’: another test gone amiss. Addiction 2022; 117 (4): 1174–1175.

[3] Reed ZE, Wootton RE, Munafò MR. Response to Vanyukov: why causality is a valid question for the gateway hypothesis. Addiction 2022; 117 (4): 1175–1176.