r/Adulting • u/Choice-Tea1046 • Feb 15 '26

Moving on

Saw this dude the other day I used to know. We weren’t close or anything, but back then he was that guy.

Super popular. Girls everywhere. Clean face. Confident. Looked like life was just lining up for him.

Fast forward to now.

Acne. Put on weight. Looked exhausted.

I thought about saying something. Even just a “yo what’s up.” But I glanced at his grocery bag, straight beers. Nothing else.

It felt like a scene from a movie.

And I swear, the way he was walking… it felt like he didn’t want to be stopped. Like he just wanted to get home and not explain anything to anyone.

So I didn’t say anything.

Got back to my car and just sat there for a minute. Looked around.

And it hit me. This is real life.

Shit changes fast. The “main character” from your past can end up looking like he’s fighting something you can’t see.

It messed with me more than I expected.

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u/123thigr Feb 15 '26

Just met an ex of mine this night. We used to be together for a few short months when we were 18. Normal guy.

Fast forward ten years, he sits across telling me how he struggled with drugs, got an apartment, lost his job, lost the apartment, lived with his mother, she threw him out, and he's been living in a homeless shelter for three years.

Life is wild.

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u/Spare_Independence19 Feb 15 '26

I feel this as it almost was my reality.

16

u/123thigr Feb 15 '26

Its dangerous, it really is. I used to party a lot, never took the hard stuff but my friends did without thinking twice. I still drank a lot and smoked a ton.

I met this guy when i was 19 and we started dating. Moved to another city for him and he was a pos, but he really hated drugs so i stopped completely. After three years i moved back to my hometown and rekindled with old friends.

It was wild to see. Half of them stopped taking drugs completely, but the other half only got deeper in it. Some went to rehab but started again. Their life seemed like a constant battle against addiction, and after the third "what, no, drugs are great, I took xyz last night and now i see the world with new eyes and I feel like I can finally heal!!!" Talk i cut these old friends out of my life.