Stevemcqueen

This is the same mindset I took toward my use! I remember that whenever someone noticed me taking really out-there combinations of substances (I was really big on combinations, my favorite being ketamine, acid, good absinthe, and a fat balloon of NO2 right before the k hole) I would just smile and say "It's for academic purposes only! Nothing to be concerned about." My trips were always well structured and calculated even when I went off the deep end with it. I think this is why in my mind it was okay to do that to myself.
Nowadays I also share similar outlets with you. I find that I get so much more from lucid dreaming than I ever did from psychedelics, more from proper diet and meditation than I did from pot and opiates, and I have yet to try an isolation tank but I'm eager! It sounds like the perfect natural alternative to my dissociative fix. Where I used to have a checklist, a sort of "gotta try 'em all" attitude toward getting blitzed, I now have a renewed vigor toward going out into the world and having a wealth of real talents and experiences as I'm sure you have too. I'm glad to hear you're sober and that you found interest in neuroscience; sounds like it really suits you