I agree with Levinthal’s definition of drugs in Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society: “A chemical substance that, when taken into the body, alters the structure or functioning of the body in some way, excluding those nutrients considered to be related to normal functioning.” A drug is taken to alter something about your being, and the taking of a drug is usually intentional. The intention behind taking a drug can make the definition of a drug ambiguous. If a drug is something a person takes to alter the structure or functioning of their body with intention, then some things that are not usually considered drugs actually cross over into the drug category.
Drugs affect our American culture diversely. They contribute to some of the violence and crime in our society. In most cases, money drives most of the violence and crime associated with drugs, not the drugs themselves. Sometimes I think if illicit drugs were not so hard to obtain, then some violence and crime would decrease, because the high monetary value of drugs would not be as important to our culture. According to Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society by Levinthal, there are actually more U.S. deaths per year from tobacco and alcohol use than all other drug usage. This is ironic, because the two drugs that lead to death most often are legal not illicit drugs.
The line between right and wrong drug use is very blurred. Recreational drug use is not always harmful and horrible, but it is still illegal, making it technically wrong. Instrumental drug use is great, but all good things can be abused. With all kinds of drug use, moderation is the key. The scary thing with most drugs is that they are addictive, and that leads an uncontrollable lack of moderation. People do drugs to get the effects of the drugs, and sometimes become dependent on the way they make them feel.
So far in my life, I have used drugs in my life mainly for medicinal purposes. I only take the prescribed dose of a drug when needed. I depend on drugs to make me feel better when I am feeling ill, and I cannot imagine not having drugs to fall back on for this purpose. I have also experimented recreationally with drugs twice in my life. Both of these experiences were casual, and not extremely exciting or enticing. I feel that I do not need to use drugs recreationally at all, but their instrumental use is necessary in my life.
