Self-medicate likely means you are using it to treat a mental health issue. When someone feeling manic, alcohol, since it is a depressant, might tone it down. Before I had children and was working a M-F job where I worked 45-50 hours a week, sometimes more, I would be extremely wound up on Friday. Always drank on Fridays, never slept much on Friday nights. Liked drinking to counteract how hyper I felt on Friday and liked socializing with the other Friday drinkers. Sometimes I think alcohol plays a number on you over time in that my body cannot handle as much now as it used to. I no longer drink. It's a depressant, so, for me, it was extremely unhealthy for me to drink when I was unhappy because it would make my lows lower. I would also sometimes have terrible suicidal thoughts when drinking alone and depressed. But I have some great memories of drinking when I was happy and doing activities with H or my friends. So even though I have given it up, I only regret drinking when I was alone and unhappy plus two times when I blacked out. For me, drinking when you are depressed or drinking to the point of blackout is when you have crossed the line to being unhealthy.