The Solution Fails

What happens when your solution to happiness stops working?  You might consult with others who have had the same experience of suffering through a failed solution.  Example: a fellow said that he “drank himself into sobriety.”  Say what?  Yes, drinking was his solution to scary and negative feeelings.  He drank and it numbed him out.  He did stop feeling fearful, anxious, lonely, and so on.  Then one day he drank and could not numb out.  He drank more but his negative feelings stayed the same.  Alcohol, his solution, stopped working.  Instead of isolating or killing himself, he decided to go find people who might understand his predicament.  He went to AA.  There he found people who had failed at life, just like him, but had found a way to a more successful and happy life.  They had found a different solution.  So when you think your solutions are failing you, why not find some other people who have had similar failures and see what they are doing about it?  It seems more constructive than isolation or suicide.