Good question - I spent 30 years as an undiagnosed BP but I drank a lot during that time. The drinking seemed to link closely with being manic and then I'd get depressed after a binge. It's tough to recognize - when I felt great, I'd want to party. Then I'd swear it off. Then I'd be back again.

In the end, BP and booze don't go well together. Most literature we read tells us that. It doesn't react well with the medication and it tends to make the episodes more magnified on both ends. I just quit, couldn't hack it anymore. Me and Mr. Beam, we had a thing going on. Now, at a minimum, I feel good physically and I work on the other stuff directly linked to BP.