I drank because I am an alcoholic.
I haven't had the kind of trauma that would justify the devastating and destructive kind of drinking I did. I lived a fairly charmed life.
I do not believe people drink due to mental illness. I believe some people who are alcoholics also have mental illness.
You will find people who have the kind of mental illness you have who are Not alcoholics.
Yes, you find both together. But one does not cause the other, and sometimes believing that makes people put off a very much needed alcohol quit.
Putting off sobriety can be deadly and devastating for everyone around you, regardless the number of diagnoses you have.