I see it as a which came first, the chicken or the egg, problem. I don't know if my bipolar drove my alcohol abuse or the alcohol abuse drove the bipolar. All I know is that today I have two separate issues that are intertwined. They are separate because the two things are treated very differently for me. I treat my alcoholism with Alcoholics Anonymous and my bipolar disorder with meds and therapy. They are intertwined because if I don't treat my alcoholism then I either won't treat my bipolar or the treatment will not be as effective and if I don't treat my bipolar then I am more likely to start drinking again. I have to treat both illness'.
Today I no longer question which came first or what might have caused what. I have seen many dual diagnosed people in AA but I have also seen many who have absolutely no clue or experience with mental illness. Actually the latter can be quite dangerous as they are the ones who tend to preach "you are not sober if you are using any 'mind altering' drugs" which to them means mental health meds. I have learned to just ignore their naivety and do what I know is right for me which is to treat both the diseases I have