your depession does exacerbate your drinking cause it is a depressant. i'm sorry other things keep you depressed as well.but the drink will only mess things up even more. i had your 2 problems and pdoc said i had to treat both at the same time-my bipolar which is on the incredibly depressed side, most times if i have an episode, and for me to learn how to stop drinking cause i was an alcoholic. at the time i felt hopeless and helpless about life. it seemed like an impossible task. but treating both at the same time created the person i am today-happy, joyous and free!!! i go to AA and worked with my pdoc to help the depression thru meds. had i continued to drink this would have been a faillure cause the alcohol interfered with the meds i was taking for the depression. thus a vicious cycle. it's a challenge to treat either one if those but i did.
hope you will give this some thought. i think it might really help you,MHJ. i wish you the very best.