Editing Recreational drug use (section)

==Health risks==
{{Main|Addiction|Substance abuse|Substance use disorder}}
[[File:Вытрезвитель при Московской части Петербурга.jpg|thumb|right|A 1914 photo of intoxicated men in a sobering-up room]]
{{Further|Addiction vulnerability|Alcohol intoxication|Drug overdose}}
[[File:Rational harm assessment of drugs radar plot.svg|thumb|right|Radar plot of 20 widely used recreational drugs by dependence likelihood and physical and social harms<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Nutt D, King LA, Saulsbury W, Blakemore C |date=March 2007 |title=Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential misuse |editor-last=Horton |editor-first=R |editor-link=Richard Horton (editor) |journal=[[The Lancet]] |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |volume=369 |issue=9566 |pages=1047–53 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(07)60464-4 |issn=1474-547X |lccn=sf82002015 |oclc=01755507 |pmid=17382831 |s2cid=5903121}}</ref>]]

The severity of impact and type of risks that come with recreational drug use vary widely with the drug in question and the amount being used. There are many factors in the environment and within the user that interact with each drug differently. [[Health effects of alcohol|Alcohol is sometimes considered one of the most dangerous]] recreational drugs. [[Alcoholic drink]]s, [[tobacco products]] and other [[nicotine]]-based products (e.g., [[electronic cigarettes]]), and [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] are regarded by various [[medical professionals]] as the most common and widespread [[Gateway drug effect|gateway drugs]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Williams |first=AR |date=June 2020 |title=Cannabis as a Gateway Drug for Opioid Use Disorder |journal=[[Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] on behalf of the [[American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics]] |volume=48 |issue=2: ''Opioid Controversies: The Crisis – Causes and Solutions'' |pages=268–274 |doi=10.1177/1073110520935338 |issn=1748-720X |pmc=7359408 |pmid=32631185 |s2cid=220385267}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ren |first1=M |last2=Lotfipour |first2=S |date=September 2019 |title=Nicotine Gateway Effects on Adolescent Substance Use |journal=[[Western Journal of Emergency Medicine]] |publisher=[[eScholarship]] |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=696–709 |doi=10.5811/westjem.2019.7.41661 |doi-access=free |issn=1936-9018 |pmc=6754186 |pmid=31539325 |s2cid=201978284}}</ref><ref name="Focus APA">{{cite journal |last=Balon |first=R |date=October 2018 |title=Illegal or Legal, Marijuana Remains a Gateway Drug |journal=Focus: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry |publisher=[[American Psychiatric Association]] |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=2s–3s |doi=10.1176/appi.focus.164S01 |doi-access=free |issn=1541-4108 |pmc=6493246 |pmid=31975938 |s2cid=169336920}}</ref><ref name="J. Sch. Health">{{cite journal |last1=Barry |first1=AE |last2=King |first2=J |last3=Sears |first3=C |last4=Harville |first4=C |last5=Bondoc |first5=I |last6=Joseph |first6=K |date=January 2016 |title=Prioritizing Alcohol Prevention: Establishing Alcohol as the Gateway Drug and Linking Age of First Drink with Illicit Drug Use |journal=[[Journal of School Health]] |publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell]] on behalf of the [[American School Health Association]] |volume=86 |issue=1 |pages=31–38 |doi=10.1111/josh.12351 |issn=1746-1561 |pmid=26645418 |s2cid=8906331}}</ref> In the [[United States]], [[Australia]], and [[New Zealand]], the general onset of [[drinking alcohol]], [[tobacco smoking]], [[cannabis smoking]], and [[Poly drug use|consumption of multiple drugs]] most frequently occurs during [[adolescence]] and in [[middle school]] and [[secondary school]] settings.<ref name="Focus APA"/><ref name="J. Sch. Health"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Attia |first1=J |last2=Campbell |first2=E |last3=Dray |first3=J |last4=Bowman |first4=J |last5=Freund |first5=M |last6=Hodder |first6=RK |last7=Lecathelinais |first7=C |last8=Oldmeadow |first8=C |last9=Wiggers |first9=J |last10=Wolfenden |first10=L |date=August 2017 |title=Effectiveness of a pragmatic school-based universal resilience intervention in reducing tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substance use in a population of adolescents: Cluster-randomised controlled trial |url=https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/7/8/e016060.full.pdf |url-status=live |journal=[[BMJ Open]] |publisher=[[BMJ (company)|BMJ Group]] |volume=7 |issue=8 |pages=e016060 |doi=10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016060 |doi-access=free |issn=2044-6055 |pmc=5629645 |pmid=28821523 |s2cid=1475517 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430024943/https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/7/8/e016060.full.pdf |archive-date=30 April 2019 |access-date=1 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Parker |first1=EM |last2=Bradshaw |first2=CP |date=October 2015 |title=Teen Dating Violence Victimization and Patterns of Substance Use Among High School Students |journal=[[Journal of Adolescent Health]] |publisher=[[Elsevier]] on behalf of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=441–447 |doi=10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.06.013 |issn=1054-139X |pmid=26271161 |s2cid=40481423|pmc=10041881 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=CM |last2=Moss |first2=HB |last3=Yi |first3=HY |date=March 2014 |title=Early adolescent patterns of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana polysubstance use and young adult substance use outcomes in a nationally representative sample |journal=Drug and Alcohol Dependence |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |volume=136 |pages=51–62 |doi=10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.12.011 |issn=0376-8716 |pmid=24434016 |s2cid=13003820}}</ref>

Some scientific studies in the early 21st century found that a low to moderate level of alcohol consumption, particularly of [[red wine]],<ref name="Ferrières 2004">{{cite journal |author-last=Ferrières |author-first=J |date=January 2004 |title=The French paradox: lessons for other countries |url=https://heart.bmj.com/content/heartjnl/90/1/107.full.pdf |url-status=live |editor-last=Otto |editor-first=C |editor-link=Catherine Otto |journal=[[Heart (journal)|Heart]] |publisher=[[BMJ Group]] |volume=90 |issue=1 |pages=107–111 |doi=10.1136/heart.90.1.107 |doi-access=free |issn=1468-201X |pmc=1768013 |pmid=14676260 |s2cid=6738125 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810011209/https://heart.bmj.com/content/heartjnl/90/1/107.full.pdf |archive-date=10 August 2021 |access-date=21 November 2021}}</ref> might have substantial health benefits such as decreased risk of [[cardiovascular diseases]], [[stroke]], and [[cognitive decline]].<ref name="Nutrients 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Chiva-Blanch |first1=G |last2=Badimon |first2=L |date=January 2020 |title=Benefits and Risks of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease: Current Findings and Controversies |journal=[[Nutrients (journal)|Nutrients]] |publisher=[[MDPI]] |volume=12 |issue=1: ''Alcoholic Beverages and Human Health'' |pages=108 |doi=10.3390/nu12010108 |doi-access=free |issn=2072-6643 |pmc=7020057 |pmid=31906033 |s2cid=210042186 }}</ref><ref name="hsph.harvard.edu">{{cite web |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2021 |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/drinks-to-consume-in-moderation/alcohol-full-story/ |url-status=live |title=The Nutrition Source: "Drinks to Consume in Moderation – Alcohol: Balancing Risks and Benefits" |website=www.hsph.harvard.edu |location=[[Boston]] |publisher=Department of Nutrition at the [[Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211011072649/https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/drinks-to-consume-in-moderation/alcohol-full-story/ |archive-date=11 October 2021 |access-date=11 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Stampfer MJ, Kang JH, Chen J, Cherry R, Grodstein F |date=January 2005 |title=Effects of moderate alcohol consumption on cognitive function in women |journal=[[The New England Journal of Medicine]] |publisher=[[Massachusetts Medical Society]] |volume=352 |issue=3 |pages=245–253 |doi=10.1056/NEJMoa041152 |doi-access=free |issn=1533-4406 |lccn=20020456 |oclc=231027780 |pmid=15659724 |s2cid=42052640}}</ref> This claim has been disputed, specifically by British researcher [[David Nutt]], professor of neuropsychopharmacology at the [[Imperial College London]], who stated that studies showing benefits for "moderate" alcohol consumption in "some middle-aged men" lacked controls for the variable of what the subjects were drinking beforehand.<ref>{{cite news |author-last=Nutt |author-first=David |author-link=David Nutt |date=7 March 2011 |title=There is no such thing as a safe level of alcohol consumption |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/mar/07/safe-level-alcohol-consumption |url-status=live |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |issn=1756-3224 |oclc=60623878 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428183307/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/mar/07/safe-level-alcohol-consumption |archive-date=28 April 2024 |access-date=6 May 2024}}</ref> Experts in the [[United Kingdom]] have suggested that some psychoactive drugs that may be causing less harm to fewer users (although they are also used less frequently in the first place) are cannabis, [[psilocybin mushroom]]s, [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]], and [[MDMA]]; however, these drugs have risks and side effects of their own.<ref name="pmid21036393">{{cite journal | vauthors = Nutt DJ, King LA, Phillips LD | title = Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis | journal = Lancet | location = London, England | volume = 376 | issue = 9752 | pages = 1558–65 | date = November 2010 | pmid = 21036393 | doi = 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61462-6 | s2cid = 5667719 }}</ref>

===Drug harmfulness===
[[File:Drug danger and dependence.svg|alt=|thumb|Chart of drug dependence potential and relationship between use and lethal dose<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xpZhjBuDkuwC&pg=PA149 |title=Drugs and Society: U.S. Public Policy |last=Fish |first=Jefferson M |date=2006 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780742542457 |language=en}}</ref>]]
[[File:HarmCausedByDrugsTable.svg|thumb|alt=A chart showing relative drug harm of.|Chart of relative harmfulness of some psychoactive substances<ref name="pmid21036393"/>]]
Drug harmfulness is defined as the degree to which a [[psychoactive drug]] has the potential to cause harm to the user and is measured in several ways, such as by [[Substance use disorder|addictiveness]] and the potential for physical harm. More objectively harmful drugs may be colloquially referred to as "hard drugs",<ref name=hardaz>{{cite book |title=The A-Z Encyclopedia of Alcohol and Drug Abuse |url=https://archive.org/details/azencyclopediaal00nord |url-access=limited |author=Thomas Nordegren |year=2002 |isbn=1-58112-404-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/azencyclopediaal00nord/page/n326 327] |publisher=[[Brown Walker Press]] |location=Parkland, Fla.}}</ref> and less harmful drugs as "soft drugs".<ref name=softaz>{{cite book |title=The A-Z Encyclopedia of Alcohol and Drug Abuse |url=https://archive.org/details/azencyclopediaal00nord|url-access=limited |author=Thomas Nordegren |year=2002 |isbn=1-58112-404-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/azencyclopediaal00nord/page/n596 597] |publisher=Brown Walker Press |location=Parkland, Fla.}}</ref> The term "soft drug" is considered controversial by critics as it may imply the false belief that soft drugs cause lesser or insignificant harm.<ref name=softaz/>

===Responsible use===
{{Main|Responsible drug use}}
Responsible drug use advocates that users should not take drugs at the same time as activities such as driving, swimming, operating machinery, or other activities that are unsafe without a sober state. Responsible drug use is emphasized as a primary prevention technique in harm-reduction drug policies. Harm-reduction policies were popularized in the late 1980s, although they began in the 1970s counter-culture, through cartoons explaining responsible drug use and the consequences of irresponsible drug use to users.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Faupel CE, Horowitz AM, Weaver GS | title = The Sociology of American Drug Use | date = 2004 | publisher = McGraw-Hill Higher Education | location = Boston | isbn = 978-0-07-240683-2 | pages = 366 }}</ref> Another issue is that the illegality of drugs causes social and economic consequences for users—the drugs may be "cut" with adulterants and the purity varies wildly, making overdoses more likely—and legalization of drug production and distribution could reduce these and other dangers of illegal drug use.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.economist.com/printedition/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=13237193 |title=Failed states and failed policies, How to stop the drug wars |access-date=10 March 2009 |date=5 March 2009 |newspaper=The Economist}}</ref>