Yeah ol' Mary Jane was a lover for a very long time. I'm over 30 now, been using various drugs on and off since my 20s.
I grew up in an alcoholic household. Drinking to the point of not being yourself anymore was just completely normal. I did that from about 16 through to 22, any social occasion I'd be drinking until I physically couldn't drink any more. Quite a few times I'd overdo it and my body would react by just making me vomit uncontrollably. Like to the point of bursting blood vessels in my eyes. I still like a drink but its not something I'll do on my own any more and I know to only have one or two beers if I'm out.
Discovered cannabis when I was 20. Pretty much immediately realized it was doing what alcohol was doing for me, just toning everything down slightly, but without losing my sense of who I was. I loved the thoughts I got, I loved gaming, I loved music and dancing, or just chilling out with an awesome film like 2001. Honestly if it were legal in my country and I wasn't so paranoid about the professional impact of getting caught I'd still be blazing it up every day I think. Still use occasionally but I have a vape and its much more of a once or twice on the weekend thing. Always get asked "What would you want to do if money were no object", always been a bit awkward that genuinely I just want to have a cannabis plantation and use my skills from my career to create all kinds of wonderful crazy things from it.
First tried MDMA at 24. Was not at all what I was expecting. But then became exactly what I was expecting. The love and group-community feeling was/is amazing but my god going from that to being back alone in an empty flat was/is the most soul-crushing thing. For all the benefits I got from it honestly the post-high depression (I don't even want to call it a come-down, it was more like a guillotine than a curtain falling) just made it so hard to enjoy after a few uses. There is space for this drug, but normal recreational use I don't think is very healthy without a lot of consideration about what you're doing before during and after.
Moved on to 2C-B. Heard it was like acid light but with some MDMA overtones. The comeup is horrendous, felt like I'd been poisoned every time. Well over an hour feeling sick, feeling like I need to go toilet without being able, cold chills and sweats. But then the high itself was pretty fun. Music was amazing, just being out in nature and seeing things so clearly was pretty cool. I felt like I didn't have much control of my thoughts though and can see how regular use might lead to some problems.
Finally tried out acid for the first time about 26? Again just not at all what I was expecting. Never took a particularly high dose so never got massive visual effects which surprised me. Though recognizing the tracers and warping when it does happen is really cool. I thought I'd freak out a lot more about that than I did, being able to just accept it and move on was pretty cool. Honestly though people talk about the mental effects, but for me it was just like a vibration throughout my body, a really weird physical energy. The actual mental effects? Nah, just felt pretty normal. Mind was much more prone to wandering but I think my resting thoughts are quite trippy to begin with.
I think these drugs are actually really beneficial and have a lot of overlooked positives. The culture around their use is often quite toxic though and not very conducive to a therapeutic goal.
Worst experience honestly was with opioids. I needed a few stitches in my hand after an accident in the lab and was given 150 50/500mg co-codamol tablets just right off the bat no questions asked. I was about 24 so probably the peak of my drug using era. I decided I didn't want to ruin my body taking so much paracetamol every day so used a cold water extraction to purify out the codeine. Used to mix the codeine-water into some juice and call it my English Lean lmao. That shit is scary. I have this vivid memory of just looking at the cut in my hand, flexing it a bit, knowing it hurt like fuck, and just not giving a damn. Like holy shit its surreal as fuck. Really opened my eyes to how people with mental or psychic pain get so hooked on that kind of stuff. And then of course eventually I ran out, went through withdrawal. Imagine being so completely exhausted all the time you can barely bring your mind to focus on something, yet at the same time your body is so pent up and restless its all you can do to sit still. Not a pleasant feeling at all, and all the way through it you know in the back of your mind, just a little taste and it will all go away.
Finally bought a bunch of alprazolam while that was still easy to get on the grey market. Pressed it into some very small dose tablets. I've never taken enough to go fully barred out like some you see online. I find its a utility drug for me. I can take something like 0.25mg and bang I've got great confidence, I speak well etc. Really helps out with conference talks. Othertimes if there is a lot of anxiety in my life at a given moment and I know I just need to get some rest, 0.5mg a few hours before bed just helps me relax enough to get a good night's sleep and take the load of my brain before it starts running round and round in circles.
That's about it really. I've enjoyed it all really. Only advice would be don't fucking smoke, its a genuinely awful habit, it is atrociously bad for your physical health, and has been harder for me to kick than the codeine was by far. Nowadays with dry and liquid vapes being so common there just is no excuse or need for it.