Personally addicts have a weaker excuse in my eyes than anything else. It doesn't matter what you do, if you have the resolve to not burrow your sorrow and issues in alcohol or others, then you have a stronger will to not fall into oblivion. I still don't understand why you say the two don't compare, like it's bleeding obvious or something. Low self esteem is a very bad thing that I wouldn't want to wish on my worst enemy. It by definition is the beginning of defeat. To me, to be inflicted with self esteem (which happen due to abuse, bullying, neglect) is a much worse problem. You describe addiction as an ill which people struggle against and some of whom cannot break away from. By the way you give these people excuses and demonise the other, you seem to suggest self esteem issues are easier to control. Self esteem issues can be associated with narcissistic personality disorders which are actually not of the victims fault. It's something they are born with or which develop over time so that it becomes an integral part of who they are.
By the way, you clarify that you meant weak excuse, not weak behaviour. It's the same thing at the end of the day.
Addiction doesn't always happen because people try to drown their troubles. Sometimes it's a gradual slope that can get thus far out of hand without someone noticing. Substance addiction isn't something you can physically avoid avoid once the ball starts rolling. It's start with a drink, then two.. oh why not 3 tomorrow, ect. If they don't see the pattern, it's easy to fall in a addiction.
I'm not trying to say that low self esteem is by any means a easy thing to live with, but the choices people make while dealing with it shouldn't be without consequence or pardoned just because they have low self esteem. Trolling is something that requires a lot of coordination.
Find a website > Find a thread/page > Target a person > Think of a offensive response > Write the offensive response > Post it > Commit to it in hopes to cause a negative response in said person.
That are all choices a person makes. A lot of steps, each of which has to be pursued by conscious actions. With each step the person trolling another can decide to stop, but doesn't. He/she consciously decides to do it, knows what it will do to the receiving end, and continues doing it anyway. At a certain point you can't play the ''self esteem'' card anymore. While the need for self empowerment can be generated from it, these are hateful, conscious, actions and are in total disregard for the person on the other end.
I'm making a point toward trolling, not people with low self esteem.
A weak excuse and weak behavior are quite different. While a weak excuse can be a branch of weak behavior, they're not necessarily the same thing. A weak excuse is used to mentally justify something you know is less then good. Weak behavior (at large) is when you know you have to do something, and just don't do it for whatever reason that isn't valid to the situation.