@yanks950 I am going to be very frank with you here as you have been open with us. I'm happy to hear that you are very open with your doctors.

I worked as a psychologist in a behavioral health facility for many years. I evaluated and treated clients with co-occurring disorders which includes substance use (alcohol is one of these) and mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. From what you've described here - and please correct me if you think otherwise - you drink beer when socializing with friends. You don't drink beer when you're on your own. You feel very anxious and its these times with friends and with beer that you feel better. The problem with this scenario is that without you realizing it and never intending for it to happen the beer can exacerbate and contribute to anxiety. Then, you want to continue drinking alcohol and may feel better if you drink more. Then a cycle of drinking beer and feeling more and more anxious continues. This is how problems with alcohol often started for many of my clients.

Going to a pub to drink with friends? Just the pub alone surrounded by alcohol can be an impetus to drink. If you feel you can switch to soft drinks in that setting, please consider doing that. Some people are very able to do this and enjoy the socializing part. My clients could not do this and needed to find other ways to socialize with friends that did not involve alcohol.

Here is my question. What are you willing to do in order to feel better? This is not only about motivation because if we wait for motivation sometimes it's just not there. But willing to do what you know is best for you?

This is the quote I use for myself and for my clients when I don't feel motivated:

Yoda: "Do or do not. There is no try."

Yoda means this. You fully dedicate yourself to a task, rather than just giving it a half-hearted effort or waiting for motivation to spur you on. Yoda means that either you commit to something and give it your all, or you don't even bother attempting it.

What do you think about Yoda's quote and yourself?