Hey Tetra, I'm in your EXACT same boat. I'm 30/m, and I moved back in with my parents a year ago. Because of my drinking/drugs, I finished college very late. All my friends have jobs, careers, and a family. Basically, they have their sh*t together. I am unemployed, and have been for a long time. Because of relapses, it's been nearly impossible for me to do anything productive. I have been sober for almost six months now, and I'm finally getting the ball rolling on prospective jobs. I feel like i'm so far behind compared to others. I'm working on my resume, and I feel so embarrassed and lost because of the lack of experience I have. I also have past legal troubles that lowers my self-esteem when I look at prospective jobs.
For a long time, even before my last relapse, I would make up so many excuses as to why I don't have a job. I have and still live in fear, but nothing starts unless you take the first step. Even if it's a baby step, the ball will start rolling. First thing I did was go to a job center, and see what they could do for me. It wasn't much and it didn't guarantee anything, but it gave me a sense of relief that I actually was productive. I really needed that feeling of being productive because I was really hiding behind the fear. My aunt recently told me that you can't expect every situation to be perfect otherwise you'll always be stuck waiting. This was exactly what I was doing. I still do it, but it's something I'm working on. Before going to the job center, I would not even look at job applications because I would already say to myself that they don't want to hire me because I have no experience and I have a criminal record. This just kept me from even taking baby steps.
I'm not even close to being a success story, but going from hopeless to a little hopeful is a huge step for me. Life isn't grand right now, and I'm with you on that one, however, it's going to stay this way unless we get the ball moving. Just remember, you aren't alone in this exact situation. We started a little late in life, and that's okay. There is no rule that says we have to do certain things by a certain time. I guess this is why they say suggest not to compare yourself to others.
I live in the US, so i'm not sure how Ireland works, but I suggest looking at the gov't job resource center first. Make an appointment to talk to someone.