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recreational drug
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recreational drug

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Quick Summary

A recreational drug is used without medical justification for its psychoactive effects, often with the belief that occasional use is not habit-forming or addictive. Examples include cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine. Drug abuse involves the excessive, maladaptive, or addictive use of drugs for nonmedical purposes, leading to social, psychological, and physical problems.12

Abused substances encompass a wide range, including psychotropic agents that alter mood, feeling, and perception, such as opiates, hallucinogens, barbiturates, cocaine, amphetamines, cannabis, and alcohol. The nonmedical consumption of these drugs is often illegal, though some, like alcohol, are legally available despite their abuse potential. Concerns surrounding drug use include dependence, tolerance, and various health and social hazards.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
10 Britannica Sources
  1. recreational drug
  2. drug abuse
  3. drug use - Youth and drugs
  4. Recreational Marijuana - Discussion Questions
  5. drug use - Addiction, habituation , and dependence
  6. drug use - Popular misconceptions
  7. drug use - Physiological and psychological effects of hallucinogens
  8. drug use - Extent of contemporary drug abuse
  9. drug use - The functions of psychotropic drugs
  10. drug use

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