Why does a sane person start taking drugs. There is the curiosity syndrome, but more often the prospect and false promise of feeling better with it is the main drive. Most people know that drugs are a bad fix for problems, however they can build up to the point of troubling your vision beyond the fear of addiction and self destruction. You just need something strong rigt now, you firmly believe that you will be strong enough to get away of it once you feel better.
We know the outcome of 99% of cases and even though these people often give testimony of their plight, saying they wish they'd never started, there will always be newbees who think their situation justifies the experiment and that they will be strong enough to deal with it. The others just exagerate and are too weak for this world.
EK seems to be like a drug to pilots out there who think their situation is so bad, that the big shiny jets and the fantastic provided company accomodation justify trying crap T&Cs for a while. They think they will be able to deal with no time for personal life and constant burn-out syndrome in the desert with virtually no support but constant bombardment of threats and dumb messages.
I admire you guys, Houston misses out on real astronauts!