I posted my reply quickly yesterday prior to going to work.
I hope that it didn't come across that I was trying to assign blame. I know that personally I blame myself for enough already and having someone add on more guilt never helps me.
I really do get how someone can make you feel crazy. However, it's dangerous when we give someone that much control/power over our life.
Realizing that I have given up control of my own life was basically my step one. Admitting that I was powerless over the affects of growing up in an alcoholic home and that my life had become unmanageable.
I found that detaching and walking away from the dysfunctional relationships in my life was the only way to end the chaos. I actually went no contact with a few family members because our relationships were so toxic I couldn't think of any other way to change how we were treating each other. They did think I was "crazy" at the time and chalked it up to me getting bad advice from my therapist. People who leave dysfunctional relationships and/or family systems are typically labeled as the scapegoat.
I've read so many time that young adults can't find meetings with people their own age. Perhaps if some start going regularly it would attract more?
I went to my first Al-Anon meeting when I was in my 20s. I was working on a report for a class and I took my sister with me. Both of us cried during the entire meeting but never went back. Maybe we weren't ready to deal with the emotions from our past.
I didn't get back into a meeting until twenty years later! While I regret not working my program sooner, I tell myself that it happened exactly the way it was suppose to. However, I think of all those years I wasted doing everything but addressing my own problems and it makes me sad.
I really do wish you all the best on your recovery.
db