Toward a positive psychology of psychoactive drug use

Abstract

This article advances the proposition that contemporary perspectives on psychoactive drug use are epistemologically limited and that a broadened conceptualization of substance use would aid the development of more effective drug policy and education. It contends that psychoactive substance use cannot be accounted for from an exclusively pathological frame of reference and that by neglecting positive drug instrumentalization, opportunities to advance public health, safety, and well-being are being overlooked. Using the field of positive psychology as a point of comparison, this article thus argues for greater acknowledgment of, and research on, beneficial recreational substance use. The adaptive function of psychoactive drug use and the limitations of conceptual discourse which fails to distinguish between deleterious and salubrious use are first discussed. This is followed by an overview of the cartography of psychoactive drug use and consideration of biopsychosocial parameters germane to positive drug instrumentalization. The classic psychedelics are highlighted due to their psychopharmacological properties and tendency to evoke self-transcendent states. Limitations of regulatory and educational approaches grounded exclusively in the pathological paradigm are broached, with a discussion of how incorporating perspectives on positive drug use would complement extant models of prevention and harm reduction. Areas for future research are considered.