Similar to others here, I have done just about everything. It started with weed, then cigarettes at the age of 16. Then I got addicted to LSD for a few years.
I never had a good time drinking until about 22 years old, it took the edge off of left overs from my other addictions. Then I spent some time being addicted to MDMA while smoking weed and drinking.
Eventually I settled on drinking and quit drugs because it worked.
Skybird you bring up a good point. Everyone has had some time in their life that they weren't a substance abuser. I personally have considered this when I quit smoking several years ago.
I would say to myself "I didn't smoke when I was born, why should I smoke now?"
I went about a year and a half without smoking and grrrr....fell back into it.
All of my life I have been addicted to something and I don't see that changing. The real question is what am I going to choose to be addicted to now?
Am I going to continue my addiction of slowly killing myself?
Or am I going to be addicted to a healthy food, exercise, love, and happiness?
Hoping for the later. It is a true possibility that one can find a place that brings them healthy happiness after years of destruction. We have to believe that to succeed.