I'm curious about unpacking this since I actually read and enjoyed the book when I was in high school.

Which of the following are you saying? These choices are obviously not exclusive, but I'm curious about your original intent. :)

Your drug use history is:

1. Long (I think this is the most popular way to use War and Peace)

2. Boring (Probably the second most popular)

3. Violent (This is probably ruled out since you said you don't have any aggressive episodes [that you feel terrible about])

4. Characterized by peaks and lulls in use

5. Cryptic

6. Other?

He's very publicly being honest with some flaws, I don't think it's right to call him an asshole over it.

Actually, you might want to look in the mirror a bit, buddy.

I'd have agreed with your sentiment in the past, but now it reads as pretty self-righteous. Defining a person by some subset of their behavior is a specific, moral judgement not a factual description.

For a lot of people experiencing depression, it's exactly the kind of 'advice' that's likely to ramp up feelings of worthlessness and suicidal thoughts.

Personally, I find it more empathic and relevant to affirm the person and judge the consequences of an action.

What I take issue with and find counter-productive is comingling the judgement of a person with the judgement of their (circumstantial) behavior.

I'm guessing that your original post was a strong reaction against the violence, but I also feel there's room to accept the person while still rejecting their behavior.

Anyway, cheers. Hope you have a good day.

Getting in fights and acting obnoxious are not typical behaviors.

(In as much as that can be diagnosed from a bit of text.)