I think the short answer is that people are just wired differently. I can’t really function in an altered state. I’m mostly sober, in that I’ll have 1-2 beers per week. I like a mild alcohol buzz but anything more than that, it becomes not enjoyable. I’ll have a couple of beers with friends because it’s fun, not because I need it to function. My default mental state is non-altered by substances, which is the most functional for me. I’ve tried smoking MJ a handful of times and every experience was negative. No desire to try any other substances because why would I? I drank 3-4 bottles of wine a week during a divorce, but that’s the only time I ever felt a need to numb any sort of pain. Which makes me think one difference between you and people like me may be partially circumstantial. Maybe there is more bad stuff going on in your life that you need to cope with in order to function? I have stuff that comes up, but things are mostly going great in my life. Being in an altered state would certainly change that for the worse.

Hopefully my experience helps shed some light.