[MunchkinMan]

The key here is that the Potion of Cowardice does not get anyone out of combat for free. It forces whomever it was played on to Run Away, which means that person would have to roll against each Monster to see if he were successful in Running Away from it, or if he would have to suffer its Bad Stuff. A player who is losing the combat may already chose to Run Away without such a card, and if he has help, then the helper must also flee.

So, if you play Potion of Cowardice on yourself while you're losing a combat, it's a wasted play, as it's forcing you to do something you can already choose to do on your own without having to use the card. If you play it on yourself when winning, and for some reason that's actually advantageous to you or incredibly harmful to someone else, then it's conceivable that you're not completely wasting your energies. But, I repeat: The card does not let you get away for free. You must still roll to Run Away from each Monster.