Reply to #1: Many psychiatrists don't seem to be concerned about control variables. When I consulted with them, they would simply ask me how I was feeling and if I said I was feeling better, they would assume that the medication was working. They didn't try to figure out if the improvement was actually due to the medication or something else. In modern life, there are many factors that can affect our well-being, and it can be difficult to track them all. But it's important to always question whether the improvement we experience from medication is actually due to the medication itself or something else in our lives. That's what I'm suggesting.

Reply to #2: That is possible but intuitively I would say the problems those addictions created for me were my main motif for doing lifestyle changes.