The rules of golf are not meant to punish a golfer, but rather to keep things fair and equitable among golfers. If you can use a rule to your advantage, go for it!
For example, a woman competing in a tournament found her ball in the woods in an unfavorable lie. When she determined the stance she would take in order to hit the ball, she noticed that she would be standing on a drain pipe. She was given free relief and ended up having an open shot to the green.
Now maybe I should tell you that the drainpipe stance wasn’t the only stance she could have taken in order to hit her ball. In this case, she noticed the drainpipe first and used it to her advantage. After the incident was over, she was complimented by the rules official for knowing the rules.