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Old 01-01-2013, 04:03 AM
  # 9 (permalink)  
shadesofgray
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 41
Hello. I started drinking as a young teen as well and there's one thing I want to tell you about those feelings of shame and self-loathing. While you are fully responsible for yourself now that you're 26, you are NOT to blame yourself for something you did when you were 11. You mentioned you started using at that age. Of course getting addicted from such an early age can lead to some bad life choices. But kids shouldn't be exposed to drinking and drugs at age 11. You weren't able to make any fully conscious choice back then, and your subsequent behavior was (at least partly) a consequence of your addictions.

I'm not saying you should hate your family/friends for exposing you to narcotics at age 11; if anything, you might find solace in eventually forgiving them. But you should also realize that you cannot hate yourself over a descent into addiction that started when you were way too young to understand what was going on and to form a mature, responsible opinion on it.

You're still very young at 26, and now you decided to take control. That's what matters. You'll get to the point when you want to make amends, but don't underestimate the fact that you were led into drink and drugs at eleven. Don't use it as a justification, but don't take it out of the picture either. It's not fair to yourself.
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