> I wholly reject the idea that without these substances, I am my "true self." Yes, scare quotes intentional. It seems to me more like the phrasing of "be you

> I wholly reject the idea that without these substances, I am my "true self." Yes, scare quotes intentional. It seems to me more like the phrasing of "be yourself" and be your "true self" in this comment and parent is the issue. What if that "true vs false self" is an illusion anyway? You can still "be better", be what you want to be, be happier and more capable, be a better self, that you like more. It doesn't require any claims that "this point on the graph is truly me, and that point is not". That statement might not just be false, but be actually meaningless. Drugs are mind-altering for sure, that's the point of them, but so is learning a new skill or reading a good book.