HalfSwede,
I got your message immediately. I have often wrestled with this same conundrum. What on earth would a healthy straight white guy from an educated and (comparatively) wealthly background have to complain (or be troubled) about? It turns out, lots!

And yet we have to fight a pitched battle with ourselves to bring any of our problems to light because somehow we've learned that it is just bad form to complain about anything.

At the root of my bipolarism and substance abuse is a crushing loneliness, about which I've been able to say precious little to anyone. No one likes to be burdensome...and so the loneliness just stays inside us and eats away at us from the inside. And when it gets overwhelming we take another drink to blunt the pain.

That's all I have to say for the moment. As always, it feels like rank cowardice to be saying any of this at all. But I feel you man, I'm right there with you on all accounts.