Yes, that was it exactly for me too Kim. I anesthetized to mask my shyness & hide from problems. It had the opposite effect in the end - I was isolated from everyone & in a prison I'd created for myself.
Smith - you say your quality of life isn't bad right now (and of course we hope it never becomes bad) so maybe that's why you aren't more motivated to stop. I was in a living hell and had to get out or die. SR threw me a life preserver and I grabbed it & held on tight.