mxchaos I do not hide my past, but I do not advertise it either, our past when shared along with our present walk in recovery helps others. It gives others hope when they run into things in their own lifes that there is recovery from anything in life.
The guilt & shame from my past I have dealt with, I am beyond them today thanks to the steps and the fellowship, I use my past as a tool to help others, when some one says to me "I am so ashamed and full of guilt that I am consumed with it." I am able to share mostly in a general way of how I had been in a place like they are at now and I found a way out and you can to.
You are not alone in any thing you mentioned, I am an alcoholic and due to my recovery I have no shame about it, one of my daughters is a recovering anorexic, she has no shame about being an anorixic in recoevery. I know tons of people who have been commited to institutions for both alcoholism and depression, I do not shun them or view them as less then at all.
Why would I view any one in recovery as less then any one else. If your friend is a friend as you say, she will not judge you, if anything she will be proud of you for overcoming problems in stead of letting problems continue to over come you.