Welcome, Annemarie. Your son sounds very depressed. Depression is an insidious liar which tells the sufferer that no one will help, no one cares, and there is no way to ever get better. Add in alcohol and the depression gets worse.
Do you think you could get him to agree to try an anti-depressant?
I personally believe that gaming is another addiction. I think that people, especially young men, feel powerful as they move through the games. They get so wrapped up in the virtual world that they don't learn how to function in the real world. I also think that for them the real world seems dull and lifeless.
