I was diagnosed bipolar 2 when I was 59, in 2013. Off and on from 1973 - 1999 I self medicated with alcohol, especially when I had to visit my in-laws. My divorce helped me stop drinking.
In my 20s I was deeply depressed but had no idea why. My city had a mental hospital and the stigma for mental illness there was huge. No one even thought of seeing a psychiatrist. We couldn't be mentally ill, not us. Growing up, it was us and them, locals and mental patients, I'm sad to say. The gulf between us was huge. We locals were just a bunch of ostriches with our heads in the sand.
I never saw a Pdoc until 1987 and he only diagnosed major depressive disorder. I was finally diagnosed with BP2 in 2013.
I learned that alcohol is not the answer, and that psych meds work. Now I'll have 1 drink maybe once a month for special occasions.
The past 2 years I felt dull, like nothing mattered, just like you do, and I found out the dose of Seroquel I was taking was too high. I worked with my doctor and after 3 med changes, I feel much better.
Listen to your doctor and take your prescriptions. The withdrawal from psych meds would be awful and possibly life threatening, especially if you're drinking too. When I went off Seroquel XRT, I got severely dehydrated from vomiting. Alcohol dehydrates you too.
Alcohol is NOT the answer to anything. It never was, and it never will be.
You may need to try a few med combinations before you hit the sweet spot, but I can testify that it's very much worth it to work with your doctor to find that spot. It took me 6 years to get stable while still feeling good, but I did it. I'm not feeling 100% but I'm doing so much better now than ever before.
Don't give up, and do not mix alcohol with psych meds. Alcohol doesn't help bipolar at all. It's a depressant. I know from experience.