All of us have used drugs at one time or another whether it's aspirin, pot or narcotics. Do we all belong in jail? The answer is no. Society has designed a system to separate the wide variety of drugs that people use and categories for different people that use them. .
I think it's safe to say that most people have taken an aspirin to relieve pain. Or perhaps, they are taking something to help them grow hair. Lots of people use drugs for legitimate medical purposes. Using over the counter or prescription drugs is wide spread and accepted by society. If you have a problem, chances are there is some legal drug a doctor can prescribe to help fix what ails you.
The second type of drug use would be recreational. Recreational drug users are usually looking for fun. They are after some type of enhancement for their senses. These users will typically do drugs on special occasions. Weekends, days off, vacation, these are the time recreational users do drugs. .
Drugs like acholol, pot, LSD and ecstasy. Not all legal drugs. The occasional user will skirt the edges of the law in pursuit of a good time. Unfortunately the people in this group might find themselves in the next group before too long.
This brings us to the full-blown drug addict. A full-blown drug addict might use the same drugs as the recreational user as well as narcotics. The difference being the .
frequency of use. I would put alcoholics, cigarette smokers, and (speed, coke and heroin) users all in this category. The addict is always looking for some type of release or escape from reality, using drugs everyday or multiple time a day, depleting savings, loss of employment. The full-blown addict is so wrapped up in finding their escape very few other things matter. If you are full blown, odds are you are on something almost all of the time.
Almost everyone has had to take medicine in his or her lifetime. I think a lot of people have gone in pursuit of fun as an occasional or recreational user.