I'm surprised your therapist would make such a statement...but I'm no therapist. Co-morbidity is VERY common among folks with MI. For me, it's a chicken/egg proposition; I guess, however, there are exceptions to every rule. My bipolar played a role in my drinking, too - self-medication before being diagnosed. However, after being diagnosed & finding the proper med cocktail, I was still a raging alcoholic! We've written about this before...Genetic factors play a role in many peoples' alcoholism. That's certainly the case for me, at least. If you shake my family tree, both alcoholics & relatives with BP fall from the branches. I was just lucky enough to hit the genetic jackpot twice!