People Explain Which Mistake They Made As A Teen Still Haunts Them Today

People Explain Which Mistake They Made As A Teen Still Haunts Them Today
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay

It's well-known that the brain of a teenager is a half-formed thing. But that doesn't stop us from getting down ourselves for those old mistakes even years later, as full-blown adults.

Injuries, social falling outs, bad habits started and good habits stopped--all are ripe for putting a knot in our stomachs a decade or more later.

Truly, a big part of adulthood is learning to accept and live with yourself, warts and all.

And many of those warts are composed of mistakes that you can never undo.

Redditor zepher_goose asked:

"Which mistake did you make as a teenager that is still biting you in the a**?"

Many Redditors talked about the things they did that left them with a very direct, long-lasting physical difficulties. Often, the mistake was a single moment, but its consequences go on for years.

PSA

"Not wearing my seatbelt. At least my wheelchair is fast." -- CrippleOverlord

"So sorry buddy. I hate that you had to learn that lesson in that way. Best of luck to you." -- ai_test_run

Choose Your Object Wisely

"Punching a wall. Hit the stud. The fracture in my hand didn't properly heal as well as losing the use of two of my tendons which makes opening my hand a nuisance. As you could imagine it was my dominant hand. My life isn't hell from it but boy If I could go back in time to my teenage years, that's when I'd go."

"Please please please!!!! If you ever feel like you need to hit something for whatever reason please hit something soft and not living, like a pillow. Your delicate hands will thank you down the road."

-- BlowBallSavant

Decades of Healing

"Sharing needles with other people (when I was 16)."

"Spent the next 40 years with Hepatitis C and did two unsuccessful Interferon treatments that lasted a total of 22 months. Fortunately, got cured in 2015 with a 90 day treatment of Harvoni, but still, I spent a lot of time effort during some very important years trying to get well."

-- Bob_N_Frapples

That Faint Hissing

"Listened to music way too loud and now i have tinnitus forever. Still hate myself for that one..." -- elgherkin

"Tinnitus is one of those things that before you have it you're like, 'How bad can it be?' But once you have it...." -- Aradne

Others discussed the awful habits they started as teenagers without much forethought for how difficult it was going to be to stop later on.

How They Get Ya

"Nicotine. Smoked a pack a day for almost 15 years, started when I was 16-17 Finally quit 100% about a year ago when my wife and I found out we were expecting."

"I've been really good, and haven't had a single smoke, but I'm not gonna lie, at least once a day I think 'damn a cigarette would be good right now' "

-- jreindel1

What Is and What Could Have Been

"Gambling excessively, that sh** is dangerous man, just don't do it." -- Hazzmeister72

"Man, had I not been gambling (sports gambling mostly) since 2001 I'd have had a house since 2012 at the latest. Finally got the strength to quit Feb 2020, right before Covid. My bank account has never been so healthy. Fu** gambling" -- lawdhavmercee

Fleeting and Cheap

"Developing a drug habit. So much wasted time and money on short lived experiences." -- Glittering_Cup9438

"I feel you my friend....and a lot of memories you don't even remember." -- TouchDaPhishy

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Finally, some zeroed in on the decisions they made, be it socially or professionally, that have had intangible impacts on their well-being and lifestyles.

Find Your Niche

"Not asking my parents for help with finding things I really enjoyed doing. I think maybe if I'd joined a chess club or something like that, I'd actually have had a lot more fun and made some friends."

"I was really lonely for a long time and it wasn't easy to make up for the lack of social development during those important years."

-- Dagusiu

Footprints

"I said a lot of stupid sh** with my actual name as the username on social media. Thankfully I have a common name but it will be in the back of my head for the rest of my life."

-- justanobody123456

The Harder Way

"Dropping out of college to get married. Going back in my 30s with adult responsibilities and a full time job was the most chaotic time of my life." -- dogandbutterfly1978

"I'll be 31 with 2 kids (a 2 year old and a one year old) when I get be BS next May...I fu**in feel ya on that one." -- SCViper

This list illustrates the first step in getting over it: naming the monkey on your back. Then comes the harder part: letting it go.

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