I think how we are raised has some affect on our lives, but not fully. I grew up in an abusive home. My dad neglected me and my cousin who lived with us raped me almost nightly. So I grew up feeling men would never love me but would use me for their own satisfaction. So what'd I grow up doing at an early age? Seeking out attention from males, thinking one of them would eventually love me.

That's just one example, there's many others I could share but prefer not to.

But as I got older, say around 14 and 15, I started realizing I have to take control of my OWN life and stop doing negative things because I only received negative from some of the males in my family. I had to break the cycle, so to speak. No, I didn't stop harming my body at that time, but I did realize I needed to take control and it was up to me to do so. I finally took control late last year and have since lived my life totally different than the life I grew up in.

We can either choose to let our upbringing tear us down (if it was a bad upbringing) or we can choose to rise above it and break the cycle and live a happy life. For those who grew up in a good loving home, take that love with you in life. Let it guide you in the right direction. I believe once we hit a certain age, we learn the differences between right and wrong and should be able to decide for ourselves if we want to be like the people who brought us into this world, or be our own person and do things differently.

Just my two cents.