I could never really address life and work out my fears while I was hiding behind the veil of drugs and alcohol.
For me, praying isn't the best and certainly not the only way to connect with...? I don't really do God. For me the Universe is the Ultimate Reality. It is what it is, and it's not really concerned with me personally. It neither creates nor fixes my issues. My life, I can choose what I want. Nothing is trying to rain on my parade.
I have bi-polar and have spent the majority of my life teetering on suicidal (yet strangely not always depressed when doing so) I am on psych meds, they are not happy pills. It's not the same as taking other pills to get high or escape.
This is the only life I have, so for better or worse I'm going to live and experience it, not throw it away or hand it away. Whatever happens, I truly work to stay engaged with it, rather than hide from it. Even painful stuff, it's mine. I won't be denied my own life.
I've done a lot of different things in my life. I've done the active addiction thing, now I'm doing the recovery thing. It's all interesting, even when it doesn't feel real good. And something new to do always comes along if I am willing to engage with it.