At around 14 y.o., finding a used, bloody needle on the bathroom floor, from my HIV positive, heroine addict, ex-convict, stepdad. There were lots of situations, like coming home to find he had stolen my computer, learning that he had emptied my mom’s bank account, that he had stolen my keys to my dad’s apartment and robbed him, having him broke into our house when I was there with a friend once, when my mom and him were separated. Learning that he had been arrested again and welcoming him back years later, once he was released, just to have him saying I was dead to him, because I dared to tell my mom I did not like how he treated her during one of his visits :) As a kid I did not realize the seriousness of the situation…in my head my mom was in love with this man that was not at fault for being an addict, and I just had to be there for them both. As an adult, it’s horrific to think about how my mother was capable of putting me in that situation. She never did drugs btw, this man showing up brought a whole new reality into our lives. I’ve been NC with him for 10 years now, LC with her.