I use cheats all the time. But, as said, there is the possibility of corruption, and it's pretty random. I always save before using any. And there are some cheats you should never use. They are there, but were intended for the coders and will definitely corrupt your game. There's a pretty comprehensive list of what is safe and what isn't on the Sims wiki.
My favorite (besides max motives and force twins) is spawn tombstone of life and death. I often use it to make lesbian couples have their own baby.