I smoked a TON of weed in my twenties (like almost every day) and did some other "party drugs" occasionally for 3-4 years mid-twenties. I also went through phases of drinking quite a bit before I was dx. Not a lot in quantity, but frequently like 1-2 glasses of wine or drinks but I wanted them every day for weeks or months at a time, then I would not drink at all for a while. It's still one of my red flags that I may need a med adjustment or to change something lifestyle-wise, when I start feeling like I need a glass of wine at the end of the day, consistently. I never felt like any of those things were a problem because they came and went in phases, like I would really drink or smoke pot for a while and then wouldn't do it at all for a while (hmmmm, not symptomatic of bipolar at all lol), and I never felt like they interfered with my life but I knew it wasn't normal, and knew even then I was doing it to calm my anxiety. I haven't done any drugs in years now. I am hyper vigilant about self medicating now, my dad is an alcoholic and also does it to cope with anxiety so I watch for it.