| Related to, but different than, alcoholism, psychological dependEncy on alcohol is a deep belief that one needs alcohol for some purpose, frequently to "cut loose", "forget one's troubles", "enjoy oneself", or "be oneself". This can lead to alcohol addiction, but won't necessarily. This sort of dependency, when taken by itself, isn't usually recognized as a problem, especially not by those under such a delusion.
My own theory as to how this line of thought is born -- indeed, how a lot of drinking starts -- is that it's spawned by being able to accept one's drunken self more easily than one's real self. It's an age-old means of self-medication for supposed mental ills which, more often than not, are perfectly conquerable personal problems. Since being drunk seems to "correct" the problems, drinking continues, sometimes lightly, sometimes not.
Why can't more people face their fears rather than sedating them? | 
