Like others have said, reaper runs very smooth on linux. I’ve been using it for years now and it has been a rock solid experience. The rare times it freezes, is almost always due to windows vsts I’m running through a bridge.
I tried ableton through wine but that was not the best. Also, it was ages ago so it might be better or worse now. Bitwig looks pretty good and I’ve read good things about it as well.
If you’re into max for live, definitely try out puredata. It’s my main music tool now, together with sooperlooper and reaper.
As for distribution, I would go with debian. It’s a bit older but has never let me down. Coming from Windows I think the KDE desktop environment would feel the most user friendly.
Personally I would not do a dual boot. Either wipe the windows partition or swap ssd. It will be more pain free in the future. Windows has a tendency to mess up your linux install which is just plain annoying. Fixing it is always a major hassle.
Maybe a slightly different take on your thoughts, but you could see the feeling in a lighter way as well. As for the beers, why not get into home brewing? I’ve been doing it for a few years now and it’s really fun. I appreciate the drink and the effect more now. Same goes for smoking, although I would recommend getting into dry herb vaporizers. The taste and effect is so much better. I get what you’re saying, and some of the other comments, but letting go can also just be seen as being more at peace with yourself. You can use substances to discover a different side of yourself, and not necessarily a bad one. Anyway, take it easy, approach life the way you want to and enjoy the ride while it lasts.