In Defense of Vices...

We live in an era where being healthy is the equivalent of being cool. On Instagram, models compare their workouts and encourage followers to give the gym a try. Celebrities talk about overcoming addiction every day. Posting shots of healthy meals and diet advice on social media is not only the norm, but even encouraged.

For the most part, society's newfound love of a healthy life is a great thing. We are now seeing a culture that rewards good habits, and actively speaks out against things like smoking. We openly discuss everything from mental illness to cures for diseases, all with undertones encouraging living your best life.

It's great, but I'm not totally a fan.

I think that society, as a whole, has forgotten that there are two sides to every story. Call me a hedonist or a fool, but I personally have experienced a lot of life-changing benefits from life as a hard-partying individual that drinks, smokes, and stays up for days at a time.

Before you completely eschew certain acts as bad, hear me out. My experiences might change your mind on life.

Substance use, sexual experimentation, and partying helped me learn about myself.

Every experience you have can teach you about yourself, and that includes all those nights out. My time as a club kid, a kinkster, a swinger, a smoker, and a drinker taught me a lot about who I am as a person—things I never would have learned without actually experiencing what I did.

My love of BDSM and time experimenting with sex taught me about what I needed in a relationship. It taught me what I enjoy in bed, how to please a partner, and how to talk about sex in a healthy manner.

My substance use helped me learn about my personal strengths and weaknesses. It made me realize where my limits are, how strong I can be, and how I best cope with problems in life. It helped me stop running away from issues I had, and helped me learn to tackle them head-on.

My partying taught me almost all the social skills I have. Those days gave me confidence, and also helped me gain empathy for others who might still be finding themselves.

A lot of substances also work as social lubricant.

One of the biggest reasons why people use substances, hit up clubs, and enjoy debauchery is because it works as a way to meet people. Most "unhealthy" habits have cultures, activities, and social scenes around them.

"Unhealthy" practices like going out to drink and smoking cigars often come with cultures where you can meet friends, network, and develop your own social support system.

Considering that loneliness has been proven to be deadlier than many traditionally bad health practices, maybe it's time we realize how beneficial this perk can be. In an age where people feel lonelier than ever, picking up one or two vices can be a smart way to meet new people when regular methods fail.

Think about it. Potheads have cannabis culture, complete with favorite strains and cannabis-related publications. Cigar smokers have lounges where they light up and chat. Bars have barflies and drinking culture. Nightclubs have regulars and promoters.

Being a wild child helped me rethink my life goals.

What we view as healthy changes on a regular basis. In the 19th century, people believed smoking was healthy. They also thought that women had a wandering womb, and would go crazy if they weren't treated for hysteria. In the 18th century, doctors would use leeches as medicine for everything.

In the 1920s, women used radioactive water to get a healthy glow. (No, really!) During the 1950s, many women used Lysol as a feminine wash. Guess what made people stop these habits. It was the practice of questioning common wisdom.

For me, being a wild club kid who tried everything from BDSM to Burner Parties made me realize a lot about life. Partying it up makes you realize that there are as many ways to live as there are people. Sadly, you'd never guess this if you listened to people who live a mainstream life.

Like many other people my age, I was told to go to college, get married, and have kids. I was told that if I did that, I'd be happy. I was told my life was "just a phase." Somehow, I knew that wasn't true. I just didn't understand why others didn't see it.

When I started hanging out with "the wrong crowd," things started to make sense. I wasn't wrong for not wanting kids. I wasn't wrong to think that a degree didn't matter. I met people who proved that you can still be successful without following the herd.

Being around rebels in society made me realize that this wasn't always true. People with a wild streak, particularly those who are successful in their own rights, always question why people want them to be a certain way.

Most people, though, don't really take time to ask why they want certain things. They are told to be afraid of the unknown. They are told of the risks, but not the rewards.

People forget that the rebels they often tout as heroes were still accused of being no-goods. Many had serious addictions, went against the norm of society, or hung out with hardened criminals to get to where they were.

Think about it. Do you really think Hunter S. Thompson would have become famous without his drug use, and time spent with motorcycle gangs?

My partying days also inspired me creatively.

It's not a secret that many writers and artists gained inspiration through their substance use, partying nights out, or drinking habits. In fact, it's a common trope.

Steven King wrote several of his books without actually remembering what they were about. Ernest Hemingway was a notorious drinker, as was his buddy F. Scott Fitzgerald. Oh, and Van Gogh? He loved his hallucinogenic absinthe—something fierce.

Most of my friends are artists in one way or another. Almost without exception, they all gained inspiration from times they spent painting the town red with others.

People are starting to see studies validate cannabis, MDMA, as well as other drugs.

Anyone who's been associated with drug culture will tell you that cannabis is actually great for you.

The sheer number of benefits that medical marijuana has been linked to is staggering. It's a proven treatment for chronic pain, seizures, anxiety, as well as an amazing accompaniment to cancer treatments. That's why people are lobbying to legalize it, and why it's becoming a mainstream tool.

But, cannabis isn't the only drug getting a lot of medical backing these days. MDMA has been proven to cure PTSD in 83 percent of patients who use it therapeutically. Ketamine shows lots of promise as a treatment for depression.

Mushrooms and LSD have been shown to improve creativity, empathy, and openness in people who use it therapeutically. In fact, one study shows that psychedelics users are far less likely to commit acts of domestic violence than sober people.

Officially, these drugs are universally bad for you. It's true they can be addictive, but if used in moderation, are they really that terrible? If you speak to people who used them to overcome serious mental illnesses, you might see a new side to the story.

The biggest perk of my partying lifestyle, though, is the joy it brings me.

I'm a believer that most people who decide to live life by the straight and narrow never really live. Sure, they go through the motions, but they never seem very happy. They do things because they're "supposed to," or because it's expected of them.

By the time I was 20, I started to notice the pressure to conform to the normal "healthy" life. The people who pressured me never seemed to be very happy with their lives, despite them claiming to love it.

People started to badger me over the clothing I chose. They started to shun me for having too many sex partners, or because I kept dyeing my hair different colors. When I told them that this was who I was, they told me it "was a phase."

By the time I was 25, most of the people who were shunning me got meaner. They started to call me selfish for not having kids. They started to tell me I was a loser for not having a degree and choosing to pursue my dreams. Some then told me to "just accept that your partying days are behind you."

By the time I turned 30, people either got even colder towards me or confided in me that they envied me. Many were told they can party "later," but later never came. I just enjoyed life, and continued to enjoy it.

Stop counting years when you talk about life; start counting the memories. When I'm 50, I'll have lived more than most who lived to be 100. If you ask me, that's a far healthier outlook on life than most you'll hear out there.