Thirty or forty years ago, "recreational drug" meant something illicit that was probably concocted in a secret lab somewhere. Something illicit like LSD, heroin or cocaine. Timothy Leary in his wildest dreams could never imagine a world in which recreational drugs were marketed with multi-million-dollar advertising campaigns and available to order online as easily as the latest bestseller on Amazon. If only Timbo had lived a few years longer...

More and more recreational drug users are choosing their chemical diversions not from a street menu, but from an array of well-known brands like Ambien, Xanax, Vicodin and Viagra (no, I'm not kidding about the last one).

The National Institute on Drug Abuse says that approximately 20 percent of the US population age 12 and over has used prescription drugs for non-medical use. According to Nora Volkow, The Institute's Director, "While we do not yet understand all of the reasons for the increasing abuse of prescription drugs, we do know that accessibility is likely a contributing factor." The rise of online pharmacies dispensing medications without a prescription means that even minors are able to order the medications easily over the Internet.

As reported by Body-Philosophy a few weeks back, Ritalin and Adderall, intended to treat ADD, are being used by college students hoping to improve their SAT scores or ace their finals. And of course painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin have been famously abused by a litany of celebrities including former First Lady Betty Ford and talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.

But painkillers are old hat! These days, trendy abusers in the know are choosing Xanax, Ambien and Viagra to take the edge off modern life.

Xanax: A Quaalude for our times.

Developed as an alternative to Valium, alprazolam, branded as Xanax, is widely prescribed as a sedative, particularly to reduce anxiety and panic attacks. Xanax works by depressing the central nervous system, enhancing the effects of a chemical in the brain that slows down the firing of neurons and reduces brain activity.

It takes the scratchy edge off the day and leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy, inside and out. I have friends who take it before long plane journeys to eliminate air travel jitters. And if you need to get a good night's sleep after a stressful afternoon and before an even more stressful morning meeting, Xanax is like a couple of top-shelf margaritas without the salt or the hangover.

Of course, there's a downside too.

Xanax can be addictive, and continued high doses can cause a reaction called rebound anxiety. When heavy users stop taking Xanax, they may experience the same or more severe symptoms than before, such as changes in mood, anxiety or sleep. Rebound anxiety is usually a result of abrupt discontinuation - tapering off slowly is less likely to cause these symptoms.

Xanax is sometimes used in combination with other harder drugs to relieve the panic or distress generated by psychedelics such as LSD and also to promote sleep in the "come-down" period following the use of uppers like cocaine and amphetamines. It is also often used by heroin addicts to suppress withdrawal symptoms, because in conjunction with methadone, Xanax produces a high similar to heroin.

People can overdose on Xanax alone, although usually they get into trouble by mixing it with other drugs or alcohol, says Dr. Richard Saini, medical director of the chemical-dependency unit for Orlando Regional Healthcare in Florida.

Ambien Music

In the last few years, I seem to have lost my ability for industrial-strength sleep. I suspect it's hormonal, but I for one have never wanted to play the "ovary card." Whatever I'm feeling, I'll just power through it. Having said that, sleep is pretty darn important, so that's the one concession I'll make to chemical aids. I've decided MY personal "hormone replacement therapy" regimen is yoga, a decent haircut and Ambien CR.

Apparently the US Air force also considers Ambien a useful tool as an "approved pharmacological countermeasure." Because of uncomfortable working and sleeping environments, and an ultra-fast paced environment, fatigue is a growing concern. Particularly when a flying boo-boo can cost you millions and millions of dollars (not to mention lives), "operator alertness" is pretty important. As a result, various components of the U.S. military have authorized the use of specific pharmacological substances as "go" or "no-go" pills.

Yes, that's what I'm going to call it from now on. "An approved pharmacological countermeasure." Right alongside my "approved retailogical and spalogical countermeasures."

But using Ambien to get to SLEEP? How old-school is THAT? More and more people are snorting Ambien to get high by forcing themselves to stay awake and "fight" the effects of the drug. Apparently this can cause vivid visuals (hallucinations), feelings of euphoria or relaxed inhibition.

To counteract abuse in the United States, the manufacturer had been coating the pills with a flexible plastic-like coating, which sticks to unpulverized "bumps" or "chunks" and can be difficult to remove, although this is a relatively minor obstacle to a serious snorter. It's not difficult to simply wipe off the coating with a damp paper towel, or peel it off. However, with the expiration of the patent last month, generic versions are now available without the coating.

Still trying to stay up just to get high sure sounds like hard work to me...which is a helluva segue for the next recreational drug of choice...

Viagra: The original "hard" drug

About five hundred years ago, as a result of theories developed by Copernicus and Galileo, men were shocked to learn their world revolved around the sun.

To be honest, I'm still shocked. Because based on the majority of men I've met, their world seems to revolve around their penis.

Which is why I suppose it's no surprise that Viagra is growing, perhaps throbbing, in popularity as a recreational drug - a mojo tablet if you will.

Many seem to have gotten the wrong idea about what the drug can do. It won't enhance penis size, make you more handsome or mend a broken heart. But a growing number of men think they need it to be successful in love.

Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, a Harvard Medical School physician and researcher in sexual dysfunction says a growing number of men, including guys in their 20s and 30s, are taking Viagra in order to be sexual supermen early in a relationship, as if endless, reliable erections were the secret to love. As if.

And of course, once the relationship blossoms, does the poor schlep need to keep taking Viagra or Cialis for the rest of his love life, whether he needs it or not? Will the ladies be heartbroken when they find out it was Levitra and not true lust?

Although the drug isn't physically addictive, it might be psychologically. Morgentaler says healthy men may begin to feel inadequate without the pill.

"For younger men to feel the need to take a pill to be deemed adequate is a lost opportunity to find out that who they are is enough and that they can be loved for who they are." Yeah right. Tell that to all of the girls with enhanced breasts.

But perhaps we should simply think of Viagra as a way to keep love fresh. In perhaps the loveliest natural metaphor I've ever seen, Israeli and Australian researchers have discovered that small concentrations of Viagra dissolved in a vase of water can double the shelf life of cut flowers, making them stand up straight for as long as a week beyond their natural life span. Now the next time your boyfriend sends you flowers, you can ask him to send a little blue pill as well...