For me this was a bit of a chicken/egg question. I definitely drank to self medicate initially but then I have been drinking since I was 12. After a few months sober have realised that drinking definitely caused a lot of my depression, it seriously stole pretty much all of my joy of living and left me practically suicidal. But then things aren't perfect yet and I think that might just be a matter of finding a few better coping strategies...I have no idea how long I should wait before deciding that I'm me again and not influenced by all that alcohol abuse... All I do know is that things are a million times better sober.
I agree with this which Mattcake said...
treating the underlying depression is not a cure for addiction. They both need to be addressed, the treatment is not interchangeable. How to treat them? Fellowship + therapy, SR + SMART. the approaches, as you probably know, are endless.
For years I had that mixed up and thought that if I treated one the other would disappear...oh so wrong!
Well done on 5 days Grayscale! x