I shoot JPEG and there is nothing to be surprised or ashamed:
"I was amazed to find out that everyone (except me of course) is shooting RAW ".
I sometimes shoot RAW, but I prefer JPEG. O post-process with Pentax Digital Camera Utility (PDCU). Have you tried to play with PDCU, or other PP softwares? You can do some nice improvement even with JPEG files.
Let me add that I take a lot of action shots with Hi continuous shooting. For long Hi continous shooting sequences, RAW is a no-no. The buffer fills up so quickly that the camera stops. Instead, JPEG 6Mp that works well with a Class 10 card for long sequences.
Hope that the comment will help....