To What degree of abstinence do you practice? For many years I've been abstaining from alcohol and most drugs practicing meditation in the hopes of obtaining some kind of enlightenment that will satisfy me indefinitely therefore no longer needing to alter my mood/state with some form of external stimuli..
But is it realistic? My reasoning for abstinence would be that booze, smoked drugs, junk foods are detrimental to my bodies well being in the long run.

So where do you guys draw the line? What do you indulge in for instant gratification?

Cannabis is my primary indulgence in that respect, since it's essentially harmless and has a plethora of health benefits. On the other hand, while many indulgences are unnecessary or even potentially damaging, if you don't partake at least once, you haven't really lived life. Life isn't meant to be perfect, and neither are you. Sometimes you have to just enjoy the mistakes, since they're inevitable anyway. It is certainly good practice to delay and sometimes even deny gratification, but at the same time gratification is important to living a fulfilled and satisfied life. Learn to take the same feeling from breathing fresh air and being enveloped in sunlight on a nice day as you hope/expect to get from those indulgences and that's enlightenment, IMHO

Does it have any ill effects on your life? Does it ever become a tool for escape or is it just for enjoyment? I've done my fair share of partaking, most forms dwindled off as psychedelics became part of my life. I like your view of enlightenment, but what if you can't get out in the sun? Would you have to use some other external means to render yourself content?