How can I help myself and avoid going down a dangerous path of unhealthy coping mechanisms?

Greetings and thank you for reaching out. 

First of all, remember that every coping skill is just a behavior that exists for a reason.  It is almost like a trained or automatic response to any situation in life.  In particular, healthy coping skills are things that have a proven psychological benefit, such as listening to music, exercise or even healthy eating.  The good news is that awareness is half the battle.  We call this "insight", which means our ability to understand why a certain problem exists, and the impact that it has on us.  

This leads me to my point about self improvement and discovery.  Once again, I will point our that behaviors are one of the factors that are well within our domain.  We have negative ones and we have positive ones.  Behaviors however are well within our control to change and modify to suit our needs.  Sometimes though, negative behaviors do tend to overpower us, and we become lost and consumed by them.  Being able to regain control of our behaviors is key to overcoming any obstacles that currently exist, or that may exist in the future. 

Back to your point about aversion.  That within itself is a behavior that exists because of something.  We are in nature driven by something.  I always ask "what itch are we trying to scratch?" Most do not appear out of thin air, and exist for a reason.  

Hope this helps. 

Regards, 

Luis