Originally Posted by spryte

There is a lot of talk about 'self-medicating', but the research doesn't bear that out. For some reason, people with some mental health issues also have substance abuse issues. It doesn't mean that one causes the other.

I have felt overwhelmed realizing, later in life, that I have two major problems: mental health and substance abuse.

The first one to deal with is substance abuse. You need to stop drinking. Then deal with the other one.