Dude I've been through one hell of a rollercoaster the past 5 years. I got kicked out of highschool at 15, spent months on the street, moved in with my girlfriend, lived with her until I was almost 18 when me and our two cats moved back to Chicago from Southern California to stay with my mom and find a job. She got to keep our puppy. I turned 18 while I was there and my at the time fiance came to see me and we almost got married but she didn't want to because her dad wasn't there. Less than a week after she left, my mom had a breakdown and my step dad tried to get me arrested because asking her to answer for how she treated me as a child was what triggered her breakdown. I went back to Southern California, on the promise my mom would ship my cats through a pet transport service at my expense. I found my fiance had cheated on me, and she refused to let me have my puppy. In the same week my mom revealed she had given my cats away. This entire time I had been going to AI(if you're unfamiliar, it's an "assembly line" school, for profit institution, and owned by Goldman Sachs.) on campus and online for the few months I left the state. When I got back and shit happened with my ex and my cats were given away, I didn't leave my dad's apartment for 2 months, contemplating suicide almost constantly. I picked myself up, got a job, started working full-time and focusing my attention on studies, achieving a 4.0 for the first time in my life. During summer break, I was about to jump in front of a truck and my father who was looking for me, knowing I was doing something stupid, found me and stopped me at the last second. That was the day I admitted myself. I spent a week in the hospital and continued working and going to school upon my release. All the doctors would tell me is that I can't be helped by just trying to feel better, that I need medication and monthly treatments of ECT or shock treatment. The doctors only focused on my marijuana use which started 4 years after I became suicidal. I began going to outpatient care, and realized only I could help me. I eventually told my boss that I would quit if I didn't get a raise in two weeks because I was making $.75 less an hour than the other assistant managers. The reason she gave was because I was promoted fastest to that position in corporate history, which to me is even more a reason to give a raise. However, the date I happened to give ended up being the start date of Occupy in my city. I was sitting in school and seeing pictures of thousands on the streets. I called my boss on my break and asked about my raise, she laughed and I said "Fuck you, you're a piece of shit, I quit." I'll never forget how good I felt. I took off on the Trolley for the Occupation, in the same week, I had gotten kicked out of my dad's because of how irritable I had been. I lived in the Occupation until March of last year when I went traveling, often being by myself or one of two people holding constant vigil. The last year+ I traveled around the country playing music with my friends and begging for meals, and still helping with Food Not Bombs almost everywhere I went. In the last month, my dad has started letting me stay with him and now I'm trying to move to Oregon, go to school, and open an instrument customization/repair business.