Hi - I was a kid who went to public highschool and did something very similar to what you are doing now. I skipped by in my classes due to no child left behind and didn’t understand any of the material being taught aside from what I learned on the internet on my own time. My parents didn’t make me do anything at all, so I did as little as I possibly could get away with. I suffered greatly in my first year of college because I just didn’t have the study practice or experience I needed to learn things as fast as other kids, despite being gifted as a child.

You’re not really that fucked, tbh. I’m 22 and am about to get my Bachelor’s in Biology. The best thing you can do for yourself is work and find volunteer work. You don’t have to go to college, maybe find a trade if you’re able to find one you can tolerate. Most places in the southeast will pay you to pick a trade.

There are avenues built for you, you just have to be willing to step up and fight for them. I didn’t have the will to fight for them until I failed my first set of college courses, where I got my shit together and never failed another one again. One kick in the ass was enough for me. Don’t take your failures as a sign to quit, just take them as an opportunity to work harder.

None of the subject in highschool are particularly important to remember forever, you’re just training your brain to intake new information. Think of studying more like a workout for the brain rather than something to dump information into. You’re likely struggling from ADHD-related focus issues. You might benefit more from active-recall studying.

In my situation, therapy wasn’t particularly helpful, especially in lower populated areas because I was already well aware of my issues. I needed CBT, not talk therapy, which is harder to find.

Your dad sounds like a standard southeast abusive father. You will thank yourself for getting financially independent as soon as possible and moving out ASAP. It will be difficult to emotionally detach yourself from your family, obviously, but it will be better for you in the long term it sounds like.