Its not a great look at all. I think King has chosen his words very poorly but has also been jumped all over for it. Certainly seems like the media are taking a line and making it a headline.
From King:
βAlcohol is not a problem for people with mental health issues.
βItβs actually the solution to our problem and until you come with a better solution β¦
βIt stops those thoughts,β he explained.
βI would suggest to you that alcohol has prevented more young people from taking their own lives than it actually makes them take their own lives.
βI mean, Iβm a drug addict, an alcoholic; my whole life, Iβve used drugs and alcohol to stop that little voice inside my head that told me that I wasnβt good enough, that I was useless.
βItβs a release, itβs like a video game.
βItβs like methadone, it keeps us going until some help comes along. Itβs our life jacket.β
and from Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson
Robinson said he believed Kingβs heart was in the right place, and suggested King may have been confused when making those comments on the radio. Robinson said King may have intended to say that self-medication was a reality many faced, rather than saying it was a good option for people.
βI do agree [with King] that many people experiencing mental distress use alcohol as self-medication because they donβt have any other option,β he said.
I don't believe that King believes that alcohol and drugs is the 'cure' or 'solution' to mental health.