I disagree. They're illustrative more than condescending, similar to your "rule of thumb".

The idea is that we alter our bodies through external actions in innumerable ways all the time. The idea that "drugs" are somehow different and not part of the human experience strikes me as an oversimplification.

It reminds me of people who don't like things with "chemicals" in them. Chemicals are in everything... and food is the ultimate drug.