I hardly ever drink anymore, but I had some problems with drinking for sure. I noticed a pattern where I would self-medicate with alcohol. I didn't have the tendency to drink when depressed. For me, I was driven to drink more during periods of mania or especially hypomania to try to take the edge off when I was completely speedy and wound up. However, this resulted in decisions where I took a lot of risks, and my behaviors were pretty extreme. It also made me a target, and I've been through some experiences that were pretty traumatic because of my drinking. One medication I noticed that really took away the urge to drink has been Lamictal. Now, I feel an extreme hangover if I go beyond a couple of glasses.

Every now and then, I still do slip up and drink too much, but it used to be a lot more frequent. . All the bad experiences I've been through with alcohol has me scared of ever going back down that road. Now, I usually have 1-2 drinks tops and have the ability to stop more so than previously. I also drink much less frequently. I went through a period of a couple of years where I was drinking nearly daily. Based on how impulsive I am during manias, I cannot say with 100% confidence that I will never struggle with it again. Lamictal has been a godsend though in preventing me from craving alcohol the way I used to. I am glad to say that things are much better than they were in that regard.