I wouldn't say that all drugs are an escape. Some drugs allow you to see the world in a different way, in a clearer way, than with your mental conditioning.

For example, LSD is one such drug. It isn't always taken as an escape. It can be taken as a way to gain insight and realise ideas of philosophical profundity.

I took LSD once while on a walk listening to Alan Watts, and I had a mystical experience that cured my eating disorder and anxiety disorder. More than 2 years later I'm still cured.

It's why my country (Australia) has now legalised certain psychedelics for therapeutic purposes.