Aww, angel...get it...sometimes ya just need a good purging...and crying is good; it's another way of purging, maybe. But, the first time I new I had issues with depression was when I was just crying all the time; like everyday and in the middle of the day and crying so much my face was like a mess and I knew I needed help. Just saying that because, I guess crying is good, but excessive crying can be a sign of something more serious than just needing to get rid of pent up emotion. It could mean your neurotransmitters are off-kilter and need to be restored right. I believe that drug/substance abuse really does contribute to depression and the underlying issues also contribute. So getting clean and sober and being able to move on and be happy is perhaps at least a two-fold matter.
Well, I've always considered alcohol to be a substance just like any other really...and it is... and it is just as powerful, just as addictive and as toxic and poisonous as any other substance. In fact, if one were to compare "drugs", alcohol is a crappy drug and terrible sleep medication a bad anti-depressant. It just happens to be legal, accessible and relatively inexpensive. So, the drinker is not a superior type of addict in no means. So try not to feel bad about that.