umbriago

both my parents had serious substance abuse problems, especially my mother, who was like no mother at all cuz she was always high or busy getting high.
many people thought i was a lost cause because i had a bad genetic heritage, but i proved them wrong. i feel allot of it is because even when i was getting loaded, i had interests and passions beyond using drugs. that helped allot because when i stopped i didn't feel entirely empty.
i realize it would be harder for someone whose entire existance centered around drugs and booze, and hanging out with similarly minded people.
despite my outside interests it was especially hard because NO ONE wanted me to quit, no one was willing to help, but the bottom line was i had too.
i still find it hard to sympathize, maybe because of my own history, with those who have families who depend on them or at least care about them and yet show no desire to pull themselves together. i had none of those, family, friends or even professionals who cared or were willing to help.
i could go on, but theres the real world calling me now.

GiveLove

So glad you found your way, against the odds, to a better life for yourself. I had a similar lousy upbringing, but it sounds like you're a bit younger than I am........meaning it took you much less time to start pulling yourself back up to your feet than it did me

It took me many years to find out that I DID have the inner strength to make a different life for myself, regardless of what had happened to me previously. But before I found that out, you couldn't have convinced me that I had the power to make myself better, no matter what you did or said to me. I had to figure it out for myself, with a little help from therapists and friends.

Keep on keepin' on, umbriago

umbriago

yes, but the fact, like i said, NO ONE WANTED ME TO QUIT, just got me so angry thet i decided, "if they want to get rid of me, they'll have to do it themselves, i'm not gonna do the work for them".
apparently, being rebellious can have its advantages.

GiveLove

That's got to be the hardest of all.....making yourself better despite the fact that no one WANTS you to get better. Glad you're on that road.

GingerM

It certainly can. That's how I started my own path to recovery as well - by refusing to be what "they" told me I was going to be.

Unfortunately, I ended up with a whole new set of issues as a result of my backlash against "them". But eventually I got to where I am now, and every year gets a little better.