Instrumental Drug Use Behavior: A Case Study

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According to Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice, instrumental drug use is a person that utilizes a drug for specific reasons to take the drug other than reasons for getting high, with a socially approved goal in mind, and recreational drug use is when a person takes a drug to get high, with disregard to being socially approved (Levinthal, 2012). Furthermore, an instrumental drug use behavior has a legitimate end or goal, such as using caffeine to stay awake longer (Bethel, 2016). Contrarily, a recreational drug use behavior consists of the person taking the drug to merely feel the effects of it and is considered an end to itself, such as consuming alcohol to achieve a pleasurable feeling (Bethel, 2016).

Two broad categories of psychoactive drugs are licit and illicit drugs. Licit drugs are legal to be in a person's possession, sold by a manufacturer or salesperson, and distributed by appropriate personnel such as tobacco or alcohol (Bethel, 2016). Illicit drugs are illegal to be in possession by a person, illegal to distribute and sell and are illegal to manufacture drugs of this nature such as cocaine (Levinthal, 2016). …show more content…

"The risks become more pronounced if students use stimulants concurrently with other substances", (Underhill & Langdon, 2013, p.

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