It is easy, if you can get a mortgage.
I currently pay less than $2k a month on my mortgage. A 1 bedroom apartment near me is about $1.8-2.5k and a 2 bedroom is $2.5-3.5k a month. People aren't lazy and not buying houses because it's so fun to live in an apartment, they are doing it because they can't get a loan.
The only difficult thing about buying a house is the hours of paperwork and surprise costs that make no sense.
It is common to develop a drug or alcohol addiction as part of a coping mechanism. That can absolutely make your life more difficult. Coping mechanisms can make it more difficult to make changes that will better your life.
The path of least resistance isn't always the easiest path.