People
Reality is a crutch for people who can't cope with drugs.
— Lily Tomlin · The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
The joke gives reality the role of a support that people rely on when they cannot cope with drugs. That reversal makes the supposedly ordinary condition sound like a fallback. Its humour lies in treating a provocative upside-down comparison as though it were a neat explanation of people's habits.
Context reviewed