When in search of new sensations and adding color to life, a practitioner can fully counter any inclination to take narcotic substances. lucid dreaming is essentially an independent and safe way to have far more powerful experiences than could be had using any narcotic. The same may also partially apply to alcohol, as interest in it might be dislodged by self-development through lucid dreaming.
The opportunity to use narcotics while in lucid dreaming and have the same sensations and experiences might also serve as a way get out of a drug habit in real life.
Even more pressing is the need for lucid dreaming to make inroads into mystical schools whose practices are often much based on various herbal or chemical substances. People often do not scorn controlled substances in the pursuit of "personal development", "spirits", or "getting in touch with their higher selves". However, this is nearly always due to the simple reason that such people are simply unaware of the existence of other methods for experiencing a profoundly altered state of consciousness. Talk with any mystic burned-out by the use of various powders, tablets, grasses, cacti, or mushrooms, and they’ll freely admit that they would never have undertaken such experimentation if they had known that there are simple and easily-accessible lucid dreaming entrance techniques.
People have grown accustomed to the belief that ancient shamans and Magi knew something special and that their techniques were quite advanced. However, in nearly every culture they manifested their abilities nearly exclusively thanks to the use of various stimulants. They were essentially always taking the easy route of degradation, interpreting narcotic-fueled hallucinations instead of the pursuing the kind of personal development that modern people strive for.
Unfortunately, lack of widespread knowledge regarding indirect techniques for entering lucid dreaming states has led to a situation where a market has formed in the West for chemical substances for the practicing lucid dreaming. Even though success is guaranteed 90% of the time when correctly performing indirect techniques, people are indoctrinated to believe that experiences are not a matter of technique or method, but rather of the presence or absence of some substance or another in the body. As a result, purely psychological dependence on the use of such substances develops, and progress using techniques to enter lucid dreaming is stunted. There can’t be any talk of a real practice at an advanced level when any auxiliary substances are being used. The most important characteristic of lucid dreaming is the fact that it can be achieved independently.
