Co-occurring disorders, such as bipolar disorder, are very common among people with drug and alcohol addictions. Quite often, their substance abuse problem has become a way for them to cope by self-medicating their symptoms.
Not only is abusing substances dangerous for a person’s health and well-being, but it also is not an effective method of managing mental health symptoms. Most people find that even though it may work for a short time, self-medication is not sustainable. Tolerance levels change quickly, and what once worked, eventually no longer does.
It is not uncommon for people to continue to add different types of drugs to the “cocktail” they use to treat their bipolar symptoms. Getting proper treatment for both bipolar disorder and addiction is the best way to manage this co-occurring disorder.