Recreational drug use is the use of one or more psychoactive drugs to cause a change to consciousness, either for pleasure or for some other reason. When a psychoactive drug enters a person's body, it causes (intoxication or) an intoxicating effect. Recreational drugs can be:
- depressants (drugs that cause a feeling of relaxation and calmness, slowing down the central nervous system (CNS))
- stimulants (drugs that cause a feeling of energy and being awake, speeding up the CNS)
- hallucinogens (drugs that cause changes to senses such as hallucination).
