D&D the gateway drug to miniatures gaming?

Oooohhh, I've got the urge. I've got that terrible itch, that insatiable want that only one thing can sate. Miniatures baby! I've been drooling over Otherworld's mini's for a year now but thanks to the tax return I've suddenly gone all Dennis Leary  ala "Lets get an 8 ball, it'll last all weekend"...one hour later...."LETS GET ANOTHER 8 BALL!!!!!" I seriously think that roleplaying is a the gateway dtug to miniatures gaming and I certainly spent way too much time and way too much money on that hell hobby for a guy living in a one comic book cum hobby shop southern town. I remember when the shop owner finally took the plunge and introed mini gaming to his growing up card collector customers and they all wanted to play warhammer (mind you ten years after I bought rogue trader, space marine the game and two boxes of the first space marine plastic minis ever released) that I got to play one game before having to quit out because of my summer college job. Yay....fudge.....

So here I am again, I'm playing D&D and I'm getting all ancy for minis. I've decided that the best form of this insanity is to avoid all the more numerous beasties like goblins and such and only purchase the nicer one per encounter kinda guys like beholders, hook horrors and all that sort of thing. This will limit my wasting valuable dungeon creation time painting and such while still allowing me to flog the painted dolphin as it were. Now in your best wimp lo nasal voice say it with me "But dungeon master, what about when you have us face more than one of these things?" CRAP!!! I always intended to use paper minis if I can find the right pics to paste to card stock but mixing and matching? Ech, sounds icky.

Also just today I have seen one seriously good argument why not to use them . So here I am, I don't want to spend money on what are little more than shelf displays when those little honeys so beg to be touched and pushed around the table to every one's delight but at the same time what benefit do they really bring to the game? Other than visual stimulation I can't say then bring any benefit at all. Where else can we get that needed bit of visual stim. Well there is always the DM/'s screen....hmmm.