It honestly depends on the scale of issues. Many people’s problem is that they can’t maintain positive behaviors due to some problems that stem from their family. If you can’t make (healthy) friends easily because you were traumatized during a critical stage of development, how do you get out of that negative spiral?

I honestly didn’t realize any of this until the last 1-2 years. When you’re raised in a fairly stable and supportive family environment, the level of dysfunction in other people’s home lives is completely outside of your reality.

Good friends can definitely be amazing, but it takes the right type. Family will often tell you what they think will make you feel better, but not necessarily how to address the problem. Strangers at the bar and generally trying to fix problem in an alcohol based environment is a terrible idea.