iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Recreational Drug Use

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. At least one psychopharmacologist who has studied this field refers to it as the 'Fourth Drive,' arguing that the human instinct to seek mind-altering substances has so much force and persistence that it functions like the human drives for hunger, thirst and shelter.[1]

Distinctions

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.

Drug addiction

Main article: Drug addiction


Drug addiction is a condition characterized by compulsive drug intake, craving and seeking, despite what the majority of society may perceive as the negative consequences associated with drug use.[2]

Although being addicted implies drug dependence, it is possible to be dependent on a drug without being addicted. People that take drugs to treat diseases and disorders, which interfere with their ability to function, may experience improvement of their condition.

Drug abuse

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.

See also:

Drugs popularly used for recreation

The drugs most popular for recreational use worldwide are: Other substances often used:

Drug use over time

Drug use has increased in all categories since prohibition.[3] Since 1937, the use of marijuana[4] has become one undertaken by 20-37% of the youth of the United States.<ref name="MonitoringTheFuture" /> Between 1972 and 1988 the use of cocaine increased more than fivefold.[5] The usage patterns of the current two most prevalent drugs, methamphetamine and ecstasy, have shown similar gains.<ref name="MonitoringTheFuture" />

See also

References


External links

A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior.
..... Click the link for more information.
Recreation or fun is the use of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's body or mind. While leisure is more likely a form of entertainment or rest, recreation is active for the participant but in a refreshing and diverting manner.
..... Click the link for more information.
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as: "A person in the service of another under any contract of hire, express or implied, oral or written, where the employer has
..... Click the link for more information.
Medicine is the science and "" of maintaining and/or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of patients. The term is derived from the Latin ars medicina meaning the art of healing.
..... Click the link for more information.
Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. The spiritual, involving (as it may) perceived non-physical eternal verities (or even abilities) involving humankind's ultimate nature, often contrasts with the earthly, with the material, or with the
..... Click the link for more information.
Hunger is a feeling experienced when the glycogen level of the liver falls below a threshold, usually followed by a desire to eat. The usually unpleasant feeling originates in the hypothalamus and is released through receptors in the liver.
..... Click the link for more information.
Thirst is the basic instinct of humans or animals to drink. It arises from a lack of fluids and/or an increase in the concentration of certain osmolites such as salt. If the water volume of the body falls below a certain threshold, or the osmolite concentration becomes too high,
..... Click the link for more information.
Shelter refers to a typically basic structure or building that covers or provides protection, including the following:
Protection from the weather
  • House
  • Mountain shelter or hut
  • Shack

..... Click the link for more information.
Fatigue
Classifications and external resources

ICD-10 R 53.
ICD-9 780.7

DiseasesDB 30079
MedlinePlus 003088

MeSH D005221 The word fatigue
..... Click the link for more information.
MeSH D007319

Insomnia is a sleeping disorder characterized by the inability to fall asleep and/or the inability to remain asleep for a reasonable amount of time.
..... Click the link for more information.
For the mineral, see .
The appetite is the desire to eat food, felt as hunger. Appetite exists in all higher lifeforms, and serves to regulate adequate energy intake to maintain metabolic needs.
..... Click the link for more information.
Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids or AAS, are a class of steroid hormones related to the hormone testosterone. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue (anabolism), especially in muscles.
..... Click the link for more information.
Drug addiction is a condition characterized by compulsive drug intake, craving and seeking, despite what the majority of society may perceive as the negative consequences associated with drug use.
..... Click the link for more information.
drug, broadly speaking, is a substance used as a medicine or narcotic.[1] There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in medicine, government regulations, and colloquial usage.[2]

In pharmacology, Dictionary.
..... Click the link for more information.
An addiction is a recurring compulsion by an individual to engage in some specific activity, despite harmful consequences to the individuals health, mental state or social life.
..... Click the link for more information.
Physical dependence refers to a state resulting from habitual use of a drug, where negative physical withdrawal symptoms result from abrupt discontinuation.[1] From the point of view of the dependent person, "dependence is duress," argues addiction researcher Griffith
..... Click the link for more information.
alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group (-OH) is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group. The general formula for a simple acyclic alcohol is CnH2n+1OH.
..... Click the link for more information.
<noinclude></noinclude>

Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid compound that acts as a psychoactive stimulant in humans. The word comes from the French term for coffee, café.
..... Click the link for more information.
Cannabis, also known as marijuana[1] or ganja,[2] is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa L. subsp. indica (= C. indica Lam.).
..... Click the link for more information.
Tetrahydrocannabinol , also known as THC, Δ9-THC, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), Δ1-tetrahydrocannabinol (using an older numbering scheme), or dronabinol
..... Click the link for more information.
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana.

Tobacco has been growing on the American Continent since about 6000 BC and began being used by native cultures at about 3000 BC.
..... Click the link for more information.
Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (Solanaceae), predominantly in tobacco, and in lower quantities in tomato, potato, eggplant (aubergine), and green pepper. Nicotine alkaloids are also found in the leaves of the coca plant.
..... Click the link for more information.
Betel nut (Bettlenut), also known as Paaku, Pinang, Areca nut or Cau in Vietnamese and Supari in Bengali language, is the seed of the Betel palm (Areca catechu).
..... Click the link for more information.
Arecoline is an alkaloid-type natural product found in betel nuts from the betel palm (Areca catechu).[1] It is an oily liquid that is soluble in water, alcohols, and ether.
..... Click the link for more information.
Catha

Species: C. edulis

Binomial name
Catha edulis
(Vahl) Forssk. ex Endl.
..... Click the link for more information.
M. speciosa

Binomial name
Mitragyna speciosa
Korth.

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa
..... Click the link for more information.
Barbiturates are drugs that act as central nervous system depressants, and by virtue of this they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to anesthesia. Some are also used as anticonvulsants.

Barbiturates are derivatives of barbituric acid.
..... Click the link for more information.
Amobarbital (formerly known as amylobarbitone) is a drug that is a barbiturate derivative. It has sedative-hypnotic and analgesic properties. It is a white crystalline powder with no odor and a slightly bitter taste.
..... Click the link for more information.
Aprobarbital (Oramon) is a barbiturate derivative invented in the 1920s by Ernst Preiswerk. It has sedative, hypnotic and anticonvulsant properties, and was used primarily for the treatment of insomnia.
..... Click the link for more information.
Butabarbital (trade name Butisol) is a prescription barbiturate sleep aid. Butabarbital has a particularly fast onset of effects and short duration of action compared to other barbiturates, which makes it useful for certain applications such as treating severe insomnia and
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter