It’s tragically common for those who deal with mental illnesses to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs. Out of desperation for relief, it can be tempting to turn to substance abuse as a way to deal with what they are going through.
Substance abuse is of course not restricted to those with mental illness — and mental illness is not a certainty for substance abuse.
But often the two go hand-in-hand, and it leaves the question, “Which do you treat first?” While I was not diagnosed with depression and anxiety until I was 17, I had been struggling with them for much longer.
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