I hope you don't mind me calling you that as it is meant with the sincerest affection.

I was not offended Daren....I can not be offended by the way someone else chooses his journey....because it is just that....YOURS!! You have proven what a wonderful young man you are. I am so excited for what awaits you as you forge ahead in your self-discovery.
Actually...I am quite relieved that you are questioning what is being told to you...because only Daren knows what is right for Daren.

I went to a therapist several years ago for 4 sessions, and then quit because she was a control freak. The sessions were not lost on me however because I came away knowing that the answers must come from within myself. I have done all the work to getting healthy by myself with a few nudges along the way. The 12 step program was just that....a nudge.

For me what the 12 step program showed me was that I was responsible for my own happiness, and that I was not responsible for anyone elses' happiness...which was quite an epiphany for me! I am a caretaker by nature. I have to be careful because that attracts needy people...including and most importantly *my mother.*
I found that I can never do enough for the neediness in others..it ends up feeding their addiction of self-absorption and unaccountability....in otherwards...I was the great *enabler*...and it becomes a vicious cycle...helping no one, and destroying me in the process.

No, Daren, you definitely did not offend me. Thank you for caring.