Keep in mind that if you never touched a drop of alcohol in your entire life, you would still have made mistakes, had regrets and missed opportunities. It's life. I have known people who don't have substance abuse problems and they have made glorious disasters out of their lives.
Since I'm finally learning to give up control over the past (how dare you say I can't control the past- gasp), whenever I'm faced with an ugly memory or am reminded of an enormous mistake I have made from back in the day, I congratulate myself for being human and making a fantastic mess of things. Sounds stupid, but it allows me to forgive myself and it's better than yelling at myself. And if I really did ruin everything, I can take credit for at least creating something, even if that something is a steaming pile of dog poop.
