They tend to view using drugs as part of a general lifestyle that involves belonging to a subculture that they associate with heightened status and the challenging of social norms. Plant, many people go through a period of self-redefinition before initiating recreational drug use. Īccording to addiction researcher Martin A. Regardless of genetics, mental health, or traumatic experiences, social factors play a large role in exposure to and availability of certain types of drugs and patterns of drug use. Any number of these factors are likely to influence an individual's drug use as they are not mutually exclusive. Instead, experts tend to apply the biopsychosocial model. There has not been agreement around any one single cause. Some of the most common theories are: genetics, personality type, psychological problems, self-medication, sex, age, instant gratification, basic human need, curiosity, rebelliousness, a sense of belonging to a group, family and attachment issues, history of trauma, failure at school or work, socioeconomic stressors, peer pressure, juvenile delinquency, availability, historical factors, or socio-cultural influences. Many researchers have explored the etiology of recreational drug use. In 2015, it was estimated that about 5% of people worldwide aged 15 to 65 (158 million to 351 million) had used controlled drugs at least once.
What controlled substances are considered generally unlawful to possess varies by country, but usually includes cannabis, cocaine, opiates, MDMA, amphetamine, methamphetamine, LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and benzodiazepines. Ĭommon recreational drugs include caffeine, commonly found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate, prescription drugs alcohol, commonly found in beer, wine, and distilled spirits nicotine, commonly found in tobacco and electronic cigarettes cannabis and hashish (with legality of possession varying inter/intra-nationally) and the controlled substances listed as controlled drugs in the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971) of the United Nations. Many people also use prescribed and controlled depressants such as opioids, as well as opiates and benzodiazepines. However, heavy use of some drugs is socially stigmatized.
In popular practice, recreational drug use generally is a tolerated social behaviour, rather than perceived as the medical condition of self-medication. Generally, recreational drugs are divided into three categories: depressants (drugs that induce a feeling of relaxation and calmness) stimulants (drugs that induce a sense of energy and alertness) and hallucinogens (drugs that induce perceptual distortions such as hallucination).
When a psychoactive drug enters the user's body, it induces an intoxicating effect. Recreational drug use indicates the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to induce an altered state of consciousness either for pleasure or for some other casual purpose or pastime by modifying the perceptions, feelings, and emotions of the user.