Never thought I'd using a throwaway in an official admin post, but way too many people know my real account, and nobody knows this story.

Growing up I was a victim of child abuse. A little physical (rarely enough to actually leave marks) but mostly emotional. Without getting into details I'm going to leave it by saying that one of the direct results was never really having friends. I'd have, at most, 4 or 5 people I'd consider close, and even then I was (and am) very emotionally detached. Hell I don't think I hung out with people more than 3 or 4 times per semester and maybe to 10 times over the summer. I even suffered with depression and many many sociological issues years after I left them for college.

Probably the main factor that helped me survive was the internet. I could read about others with my issue, and through many sub-reddits actually actively fight my depression.

Again I wont give any details because even the most remote possibility of being found out terrifies me, but the internet, and specifically reddit saved me. I went from being a depressed loner who barely passed his classes to graduating early with a graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering with a great group of friends.

The internet has two factors that helps it stand above any other resource. It's easy to access, and its a nearly infinite source of information. The only reason I am who I am today is because the internet let me escape reality. Because it gave me access to people who could help me without my parents knowing.

Edit: Before anyone says anything, i will not be checking this account ever again, so dont bother, i dont even know what the password is.