There's a lot of evidence pointing to the comorbidity of BP and substance abuse. I can trace 30 years of abusive behavior in my own life back to an undiagnosed BP and I don't consider myself an addict, per se. The science will never be conclusive, but there's probably a link to manic behavior and misbehavior relative to alcohol and drugs. For me, when I was "up" I would rage. Then when I was "down" I could take it or leave it. People used to say it was my "personality" but I think it was more related to the mood swings associated with BP.