Does anyone else opt-out of permanent sobriety and chip?

I will elaborate. I was wondering if anyone else has experimented with or been successful using drugs only occasionally to very rarely instead of trying to maintain constant and absolute sobriety. For me personally, I was addicted to heroin through intravenous route of administration in 2015-2016 and instead of trying to stay completely sober, I quit cold turkey and began to use a few times a month. This grew to only being once a month, to every few months, and I soon grew uninterested in it to the point of only using a few times a year. I guess I still do it a few times a year because I feel I have the right to indulge, although it is not conventional. Anyways, this has been working for me since 2016. I am not recommending this method to anyone considering that another individual may fall back into addiction and that drugs can be lethal regardless, was just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. I’ve known a few addicts to do this but I believe it failed for them, driving them back into addiction.

I've never used or injected. I would probably like it too much. I did try methadone once which was a very bsd idea because i had no tolerance. Passed out for 12 hours. Scary. If you are experienced hopefully you take into account the tolerance drop. I've known people die after leaving rehabs and using. What you are describing sounds like harm reduction if you really are careful. Only you know yourself to know what you can manage. I wonder if part of you would like to give it up completely or you feel fully at choice when you have a blow out? I mean, are there other things you want to do that feel out of reach? Or are you fully satisfied in all other areas of life? Could those times you use be a chance to learn something new about yourself, others, life? Oh yeah you mentioned chip. Msybe you attend meetings where sobriety means abstinence only. I wonder how people on methadone scripts cope in NA ? I've never considered that before. Take care, hope all is good.

I guess it all depends if you are an addict or not. I didn't like being called an alcoholic, but I didn't mind being called a heavy drinker.
It did turn into a life problem for me and others. I could not control when, how much or what happened after starting to drink. It would just take over.

I could start out the day planning on being responsible and fulfilling my obligations, but after a few drinks, they weren't important anymore. I tried to hide my drinking. I was ashamed of it. Yet I could not stop it.
Will-power didn't work. Trying to limit it seemed to make it worse.

I had to stop completely and never look back. I 'tested' myself a year and a half later and within 3 days I was just as sick as I've ever been. I didn't know how to call for help, but I did.
It saved my life and 32 years later, here I am.

Life can still be difficult, but at least it is real. I can trust my decisions today. I couldn't do it alone. I am not a strong person and I still have my defects, but I am sober today. I escaped from hell.
Best of luck to you.