Just a share. Seems to me what the guy is talking about goes way beyond substance abuse. We use relationships to distract ourselves from our inner conflicts. And yet, once the effect wears off, they inevitably do the exact opposite.
“There were many [girls]… They all represent the same thing, the reason I pursued them: dopamine. It wasn’t just for the blowjob, or the frayed jean shorts. It was for the release of neurotransmitters that briefly relieved the bondage of self. It was a way to get high without ingesting chemicals. …Dopamin[e] and I had our fun, but we never really connected. We were incapable of anything beyond carnality and co-dependency. We used each other to feel better, and consequently, we felt worse.”
See http://www.salon.com/2012/12/20/my_twisted_rehab_sex_life/