At the AA meetings I go to, I know of several people who've come out as having bipolar disorder...& I used to go to a group at Community Mental Health that was specifically for folks with MI & substance abuse problems. I think I would probably have been an alcohol/drug abuser (heredity) without having BP, but the fact I started so early & hit it so hard before I was diagnosed leads me to believe I was just self-medicating. You're absolutely right about dual diagnosis when I look at my experiences, bizi! Thanks for pointing that out. I think that's one reason folks with MI have to be so aware of their addictive tendencies.