I have worked for the vast majority of my adult life. Although it did take me a while to stabilise my employment situation immediately after uni, and I had a few more employment gaps many years later due to my drug use, but other than that I have always worked.
I did once quit a steady, cushy, and fairly well paid job, mainly so that I could go devote all of my time to taking more drugs and getting more deeply into the scene. After a couple of years of doing that, I was still of that mindset, but I was forced to get back into work due to having spent all of my money on drugs!
At that time I was not in a fit state to hold down jobs. I got fired from my next 2 jobs directly due to my drug use. I have never been fired before or since.
In general I used to think that working affords a better balance of life, by seeming to give your free time more value and meaning than it would have if all your time was free. Although I changed my mind about that during 4 months of lockdown furlough in 2019, when I found that I was very happy not having to work for 4 months, while still getting paid 80% of my salary.