Using a substance to manage a feeling — stress, loneliness, anger, boredom, sadness, or anxiety — is common enough that addiction treatment has a name for the underlying idea: using as self-medication. It isn’t a character flaw. It’s a coping strategy that works in the short term and causes problems over time, which means it can be replaced with other coping strategies, usually with real support.
For anyone trying to understand their own patterns
What Emotions Cause Me to Drink or Use Drugs?
Most drinking or drug use isn't random — it's usually answering something. Noticing what tends to come right before you reach for a drink or a drug is one of the most useful things you can learn about your own pattern. Nothing you select is saved or sent anywhere.
About 2 minutes · private, nothing is saved