in my humble opinion any psychoactive substance has the potential to alter brain chemistry including on a permanent basis.
for a balanced argument brain chemistry is what antidepressants, beta blockers, anxiety meds and antipsychotics or tranquilisers alter. if you research enough there is evidence to show that the long term effects of these compounds are not actually known for all populations and evidence that they do not fully break down in the liver and kidneys or in the water treatment plants so we are all already drinking residues of the molecules they contain.
native people have taken chemical compounds since before modern worlds existed
there are pros and cons to making any decision and you must feel a bit desperate to consider this, bear in mind that there may be other ways to find your own personal enlightenment that you don't know about yet
in younger years indeed tripped a few times with various compounds. none on an organised basis like a group with a controlled dose and setting but can share the consequences of experimenting:
a good trip can provide insights and connections into the infinite mind and the natural world, unlock good feelings and provide motivation for making changes in life. in my limited experience these are not always long lasting changes, it depends on what you experienced, of course if you manage to fully unravel reality the change can be long lasting or you can end up in a psych ward and long term care convinced you have seen the light.
with street drugs you don't know the dose or purity so you may get an a frightening insight into yourself. this can unlock trauma and buried memories and an awareness of thought patterns which have screwed your life up. understandably your personality may fracture under such introspection leading to psychological problems
some people do not get a bad event and just see plants with auras, patterns in the sky, well-being feelings and an alluring beauty everywhere. a kind of soft bemusement about being on the planet. The downside of this is that you may want to feel it again at a later date which can lead to an addiction if you lack self control
guided thinking on trips can provoke questioning around the cracks in what you call reality. this can be a good thing depending on where you are and who you are with. it can lead to a stronger connection to others and the environment, or the courage to finally go against the flow and be yourself. it can also encourage you to abandon what most people call everyday life in search of what you believe you know to be true.
unfortunately most of the members of normal right thinking society appear to have a low tolerance for people who do not follow what is termed, "the american dream - e.g. work real hard until your health fails get married and have 2.4 kids, buy what you see on tv and follow all our rules." it is not unknown for them to medicate, shun and exclude people who step out of line because it threatens their sense of self too much.
n.b. most people should not trip alone if they do not know what they are taking and the police advice is not to take these things at all
but then you only get to live your life once would you regret not doing it ?
at least you are considering ways out of your predicament which means you already have the beginnings of the motivation to change :)