but for ones life to be thrown into the bin over a chemical, i cannot fathom
I can absolutely guarantee you that
every addict said the exact same thing to themselves, felt the exact same way, at some stage. I'm not saying you'll become an addict or not, nobody can, I'm just saying that every addict started out where you are, right now. They were all casual users 'who just take it occasionally and don't see what the big deal is and would never throw their lives away for a chemical.'
Honestly, at this stage I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't take hard drugs unless you're ok with becoming addicted to them. Just seen so many people say 'hey I'll just try it for fun and use it occasionally' when it comes to meth and opiates, then end up totally sucked up in it, that it just seems deceptive to present it any other way.
It's like (and I fucking hate myself for using this analogy like all the asshole politicians and cops who argue for the drug war) russian roulette (sigh!). But I mean seriously, Russian Roulette, 1/6 chance of dying. I mean sure, it's only 1/6, if it was something trivial (like a small financial investment) you'd just say 'fuck it' and go right ahead. Even if you're the unlucky #6, you'll maybe lose a bit of spare change or whatever.
But addiction isn't trivial. It can cost thousands and thousands of dollars, it can cost your health, it can ruin lives and harm those around you and kill you, blah blah blah, you guys know the deal. Even if the odds of becoming addicted are 1/3 or 1/6 or 1/10, that's a lot to gamble. But so many people just sidestep that issue by pretending they're not putting it on the table. It's like saying 'ok, I'll place a bet, and if I lose I'll just walk away and not pay.' It doesn't work that way, there's no win/win, and like random chance, there's no way of predicting how prone to addiction you are. By the time you're there, it's too late. Like Geoffrey Rush said in that movie 'when you can stop, you don't want to. And when you want to stop, you can't.' That's it, you know. Wrong numbers come up, wrong cards get served, bam, you're a drug addict. Self control or morality or any of that has nothing to do with it. People just tell themselves it does because they're uninformed, or because they're intentionally deluding themselves so they can justify ignoring the risk.
Anyway, just as Russian Roulette would be absurd for anyone who isn't courting suicide, use of these kind of drugs is foolish for anyone who hasn't come to terms with addiction. You can't just write it off or ignore it. The odds are too high to not think about it and prepare for it and adjust for it. I'm not saying not to use stimulants or opiates or whatever, just make an informed decision and be prepared for the very possible outcome. Nobody is special or somehow immune to addiction. I know we all like to think we're different or unique somehow, but we aren't, and it's better to know that before you end up in the deep end.
Anyway, that's it, rant over

Please pretend I never used the russian roulette analogy! It can be our little secret.