Recreational drug use
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Recreational drug use is the use of psychoactive drugs for recreational purposes rather than for work, medical or spiritual purposes, although the distinction is not always clear. Several behavioral psychologists who have studied this field have come to refer to it as the 'Fourth Drive' in that this behavior has so much force and persistence that it functions like our drives for hunger, thirst and shelter.[1]
Regardless of medical supervision, this label does not apply to the use of drugs for utilitarian purposes, such as the relief of fatigue or insomnia, or the control of appetite. Similarly it is incorrect to catagorise non-medical use of performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids used by some athletes and bodybuilders, as being recreational drug use, as the aim of this drug use is primarily to enhance physical appearance and performance rather than to achieve pleasurable effects. Non-medical, non-recreational drug use can nevertheless be very harmful; the long term side effects of excessive use of anabolic steroids can be as bad or worse than those of drugs of abuse, and use of depressant drugs such as benzodiazepines for self-medication of insomnia or anxiety can easily lead to dependence and addiction.
A distinction is frequently made between recreational use of drugs and drug abuse, although there is much controversy on where the dividing line lies on the spectrum from a drug user to a drug abuser. Some say that abuse begins when the user begins shirking responsibility in order to afford drugs or to have enough time to use them. Some say it begins when a person uses what is deemed to be excessive amounts, while others draw the line at the point of legality. Still others believe it amounts to chronic use when mental and physical health begin degenerating in the user. Some think that any intoxicant consumption is an inappropriate activity. A further distinction can be made in that it is the use of the drug that is recreational, and not the drug itself.
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[edit] Drugs popularly used for recreation
The drugs most popular for recreational use worldwide are:
Other substances often used:
- Barbiturates, including:
- amobarbital (Sodium Amytal®)
- aprobarbital (Alurate®)
- butabarbital (Butisol®)
- butalbital (Fiorinal®)
- hexobarbital (Sombulex®)
- methylphenobarbital (Mebaral®)
- pentobarbital (Nembutal®)
- phenobarbital (Luminal®)
- secobarbital (Seconal®)
- sodium thiopental (Sodium Pentothal®)
- talbutal (Lotusate®)
- Benzodiazepines, including:
- alprazolam (Xanax®)
- clonazepam (Klonopin®)
- diazepam (Valium®)
- flunitrazepam (Rohypnol®)
- lorazepam (Ativan®)
- nitrazepam {Mogadon®)
- temazepam (Restoril®)
- Deliriants, including:
- atropine
- diphenhydramine hydrochloride (Benadryl®)
- dimenhydrinate (Dramamine®)
- scopolamine
- Dissociative anaesthetics, including:
- dextromethorphan (DXM)
- ketamine (Ketaset®)
- nitrous oxide
- phencyclidine (PCP)
- salvinorin A, found in Salvia divinorum
- Opium (Papaver somniferum) and opioids, including:
- codeine
- fentanyl (Duragesic®, Actiq®)
- heroin
- hydrocodone (Vicodin®)
- hydromorphone {Dilaudid®)
- meperidine (Demerol®)
- methadone (Methadose®)
- morphine
- oxycodone (OxyContin®, Roxicodone®)
- oxymorphone (Opana®)
- Phenethylamines, including:
- Stimulants, including:
- BZP and other piperazine-based drugs (mCPP, TFMPP)
- cocaine
- dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine®)
- methamphetamine (Desoxyn®)
- methylphenidate (Ritalin®)
- Indole alkaloids, including:
- Tryptamines, including:
- dimethyltryptamine (DMT, found in numerous plants)
- psilocybin and psilocin (found in psychedelic mushrooms)
- ergine
- LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) (Delysid®)
- Tryptamines, including:
- Inhalants, including:
- Unclassified:
- gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
- kava
- MAO inhibitors, to potentiate certain other drugs
[edit] See also
- Arguments for and against drug prohibition
- Club drug
- Demand reduction
- Drug injection
- Drug paraphernalia
- Hard and soft drugs
- Intravenous drug use (recreational)
- List of notable drug culture figures
- Opium Wars
- Prohibition (drugs)
- Psychedelic
- Psychoactive drug
- Responsible drug use
- School district drug policies
[edit] References
- ^ Siegel, Ronald K (2005). Intoxication: The universal drive for mind-altering substances. Vermont: Park Street Press, pp vii. ISBN 1-59477-069-7.
- (2002) Out of It: A Cultural History of Intoxication. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-027977-6.
- * The Cult of Pharmacology: How America Became the World's Most Troubled Drug Culture by Richard DeGrandpre, Duke University Press, 2006.
- Dale Pendell, Pharmakodynamis: Stimulating Plants, Potions and Herbcraft: Excitantia and Empathogenica, San Francisco: Mercury House, 2002.
- Pharmako/Poeia: Plant Powers, Poisons, and Herbcraft, San Francisco: Mercury House, 1995.
