They are able to see the world so much more intricately than the rest of us in ways that most people will never be unable to understand. That sets them apart and makes their lives hell.
Madness string 98176
I can say from experience that class A drugs make pain seem more like something you can see, or you're aware of, rather than something you feel. You know it's there but it isn't part of you, you feel it objectively rather than subjectively.