Living in constant fear makes benzos and liquor all the more appealing.
Even though there are medications to help one cope with anxiety, it only acts as a band-aid as most pharmaceuticals do. It simply represses the thoughts temporarily and teaches the user to avoid the issue altogether. Once the substance wears off, fear and stress will come back with a vengeance, further enticing the user to take substance more often.
Thanks to the human ability to create a tolerance, the user will eventually have to take more of the substance to get the same result. Self-medicating this way may lead to a co-occurring disorder where the individual suffers from both a mental disorder and substance abuse.