Thank you for bringing attention to this important issue! I think it is important for people, especially those dealing with the aftermath of traumatic events, to understand the concept of self-medicating behaviors. Self-medicating behaviors often arise because people are dealing with distress so intense that they need an "out" - getting drunk, abusing drugs, over-eating, over-exercising, self-harm, and other behaviors done in an excessive manner (e.g., excessive spending) . These behaviors are often drastic means to bring relief from the severe distress we are experiencing at the moment - because being drunk, having blacked out, or being pre-occupied with something else that is intense (physical pain, the 'high' from spending money or eating food) - helps to numb or distract us from distress. The costs of self-medicating behaviors are high, as one can imagine.

Because self-medicating behaviors are often used as a means to cope with a difficult event and/or PTSD, my suggestion is to seek treatment for dealing with the difficult event and/or PTSD. There are a number of treatments with strong scientific backing (such as cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and written exposure therapy, as well as pharmacological treatment) so I strongly encourage people dealing with this (or thinking they may be self-medicating) to consult with health professionals. Thank you for bringing to light this important phenomenon.

I would look at Gabor Mate’s work on this. He is superb and is the real deal. He has a beautiful documentary “the wisdom of trauma”