addiction/depression is a vicious cycle. depressed you take drugs or alcohol to feel better. They do not make you feel better so you take more. They make you more depressed but unable to think why you are depressed or why you need more drugs (illegal remember) or more to drink. Getting off the cycle is hard and lots of work. Working with the dual diagnosis of MI and addiction can make some people feel hopelessly lost and they shun treatment of any kind