It's at most a trade-off (as in e.g. you like to have a drink every now and then, or during some activities, and you do so even though you understand that while doing so, you strengthen your mental models and a kind of addiction).

Few if any substances actually automatically mean throwing one's life in the gutter; the issue of substance abuse is much more complicated (with many external variables that have nothing to do with the substances themselves) – and it may not be relevant to the majority of the population at all.