Okay, let's see where I fit in here:
Started drinking when I was 14. By the time I was 18, my daily 'diet' was a case of beer (mind you it was Oklahoma, so it was 3.2 beer) and a fifth of vodka a day. I went through boughts of stopping and starting, and now I rarely drink, although I can have a drink or 2 socially without it causing problems. I just prefer to either A) make fun of the drunk people or B) be the sober responsible one who bartends the party and keeps the drunk people out of trouble.
I started smoking marijuana when I was 16 and didn't stop until I was 22. When I stopped, I was to the point that I'd have to smoke an entire quarterbag just to get high. I dabbled with other drugs a little, mostly speed. Speed didn't do much for me (I found out why later), but I did enjoy getting 'crosswired' (mixing marijuana and speed). I tried LSD twice, wasn't too awful or anything, wouldn't do it again. Had 'shrooms a couple of times, about the same. I luckily stayed away from everything else because it was either too expensive or involved needles.
I smoked from 18 until 28. Yes, I know, I got the order of my drugs backwards. That was by far the hardest addiction for me to break. After I quit smoking, and gave up my 12-pack a day Mountain Dew habit, I started having real problems in my life (more like I started becoming aware of them, but whatever). I started therapy, and was originally diagnosed as Bi-polar Manic Depressive. I spent a year on Prozac before figuring out that I had been grossly mis-diagnosed. I was tested positive, and started treatment, for Adult ADD. Let me tell you, it has been the most wonderful change in my life for me. Irony is, the treatment is speed. Apparently, for people who are ADD/ADHD, stimulants don't have the same effect as they do on other people. As a matter of fact, a lot of undiagnosed people self-medicate, using drugs ranging from Cocaine to Nicotine to Caffeine. Anyway, it's not for everyone, but it has certainly been a pleasant change for me.
As for the relationship between Crossdressing and Chemical Addiction, I can only speak for myself. I never felt like I used drugs as a coping mechanism. I was either investigating life for myself instead of taking other people's word for things or I was trying to be like everyone else so I'd fit in. I guess there is a relationship, because if I'd have known and understood the truth about myself sooner, I might not have done those things. I'd never repeat the experiences, but I am not ashamed of them; they all worked in some way, good or bad, to make me the person that I am today.
Love,
Brandy Marie Devereaux