Do you think if recreational drugs and alcohol were non-existant, the world would be a better place?
Pretend that regular medicine still exists but no one abuses prescription drugs, drinking alcohol and "get high" drugs simply do not exist. What would happen?
People would have their wits about them at all times.
They would be forced to deal with the problems they have in their lives, instead of climbing into a bottle or rolling a joint.
Maybe people would watch more movies or play videogames to escape life instead? Will there always be escapism that will be abused?
*I had to edit, to be clear that regular medicines still exist in this hypothetical question*
*Edit: Added more thoughts on users"
If its pills: Some people moderate themselves, but I have known many people in my life to overdose on pills and I dont think they all commited suicide. Some just took stuff they werent prescribed and that kind of user has no side effect warnings or dosage warnings to read like if they were prescribed them by a doctor. And they dont know for sure the pills they bought are the real deal either.
If its weed: Out of dozens of people I've known and interacted with. Chronic weed smokers have no ambition and dont have forward momentum in their lives. The plant has many uses and positives, but people get wayyy too lazy and uncreative when they do the stuff. If you're smoking pot everyday you may have a problem. That being written, only a very rare handful of people I knew smoked pot only sometimes and they kept their ambition and moved forward into successful lives. But like I said it was rare from my point of view.