Oh my... how did I miss this thread before! Welcome to SR, Stevemcqueen
Another former psychedelics fan here. I experimented with many different kinds of drugs in my life, but what I came to really like were psychedelics (I would consider these my primary DOC even though they are not addictive the way other drugs are) and alcohol.
I tried many stimulants... coke, meth, other amphetamines, MDMA, ketamine and other dissociatives..., never truly got interested in any of these much. Not much experience with opiates and other downers, thank God. I did not even like weed. But classic psychedelics like mushrooms, LSD, tryptamines (I was obsessed with DMT for a while, did not even do it more than a couple times but the whole history and various conceptualizations around it), peyote, salvia, datura, and a of couple rare chemicals that are less commonly known. I never used them as party drugs but rather as systemic, "science-like" studies with myself, always planned and designed the trips etc. Yeah it was interesting and often insightful, I would lie if I said otherwise. But it was also a substitute to other, more "natural" experiences and explorations that I was afraid of without being in an altered state of consciousness. I have not used any of these drugs for more than 6 years now and I am ~13 months sober from alcohol (that had a very destructive effect on my life).
I started craving psychedelics again in my sobriety, on and off... they keep coming back to my mind and I sometimes have intense nostalgia and desire for them. Some people say the occasional use of these drugs is not harmful and can be beneficial, and I don't doubt this at all, for some individuals. I just find that my desires for them often don't come from a healthy place... so I decided not to give in.
You mention that you prefer natural, drug- and chemical alteration-free experiences to explore your mind now. Me too! Yes dreams (I'm a fan of lucid dreaming), meditation, the effects of rigorous exercise, using an isolation tank occasionally, most recently psychoanalysis. I also love to "loose myself" in music and art at times, but not to the expense of other things that are important to me. Also a researcher in the neurosciences for a day job and I love it. So definitely very much into exploring the mind in all sorts of ways and I benefit a lot from the healthy ways of doing this: when it's not a form of escape from living an active life, and when it's not excessive in ways that are damaging.
It sounds like you are very young -- wonderful decision to put an end to the era of drugs now. I think you could explore a million of other ways to satisfy your curiosities