Alcohol and Substance Abuse
Bipolar patients are extra prone to alcohol and substance abuse disorders by quite a margin; 60 percent of people with bipolar disorder have a history of some sort of substance abuse, compared to the general population rate of 10 or 15 percent. The cycling of the disorder involves either the craving for drugs and alcohol or self-medicating.
Patients usually describe their substance use as self-medication. But when you're manic you crave more of everything—more food, more sex, more excitement, and more alcohol or drugs, including marijuana, to accentuate the high. Sometimes substance abuse treatment is needed in addition to medication aimed at mood stabilization.
