Is a drug-free life worth it?
You would really have to clarify whose life! I don't mean that judgmentally, I mean the things that can make life hell can be 'circumstantial', I have certainly been there: bad shit happens and snowballs, chronic mental problems, things that keep bugging a person.. and of course that a standard work day can suck so much... a lot of annoying things about the world / people.. but people can also be terribly unhappy when things are not circumstance but life is stable and not really terribly bad per se, a routine but empty (for them).
A friend of mine has dysthemic problems, related to depression / mood... most things (eventually) bum him out and finding fulfilment seems to be very hard for him. I think one factor can be (I cannot find a proper translation here but literally
advantage of illness. When you are used to being dysfunctional it can be very hard to get out of that, shed your perspective on things and accept the responsibilities getting healthier again. It's not that I doubt that he has a dysthemic disorder, but I know myself that it can be incredibly threatening to reverse your outlook because suddenly so much now relies on what you do with your life.
My showballed shit has mostly ended and since I moved I rebuilt my life (though my town sucks balls and i feel isolated socially because it is lame and there isn't much to do and I don't identify with a lot of people here)... I have been able to better myself, parts of my lifestyle, etc but not minimize my drug use strictly speaking.
I don't really use hard drugs anymore that really destabilize you easily but I do drink and smoke weed. Recently through psychomotoric therapy I have come to realize how far I still keep my emotions at bay. I have ADD and PDD-NOS (autism spectrum) and the latter has been a factor in me denying my emotions and body (I don't trust myself to just live freely because of adapting and fitting in.. too big a compromise) and developing intellectually with top priority.
Of course I can only speak for myself, but it seems to me that wanting to get high typically involves not wanting to go through your emotions but around them for various reasons (like, too many of them are negative or not having a good relationship with your own emotions to begin with). I am just starting to work on this but I really wish I had learned such skill YEARS ago, to just take the time and intentionally allow your feelings. I also practice Zen which accomplishes similar things.
All of this is personal and varies between people, and if I continued it would only get more complicated... but my answer is: yes a drug-free life seems to be liberating if you can confront your feelings on a regular basis and live with yourself, and also find fulfillment even when other things don't provide it... things not necessarily dependent on your situation. But of course your situation can nonetheless be so bad that I wouldn't be surprised if it would cause many people to display drug-seeking behavior anyway...
