I have had to really work hard to get to the decent level of functioning I am at now..two years ago I was a wreck,physically and mentally. I was so bad at caring for myself, I had to spend four months in a nursing home getting my act together because my mental-health housing support staff felt I needed some time to get my issues,health-wise, under control. Now I am getting ready to go to a two-year community college in January to pursue an associate's degree in psychology to become a peer counselor. I no longer take ANYTHING in my life for granted. Yes I still have to work at my recovery, but it's all worth it...I will be the first in my immediate family to go to college. And no one expected me to finish high school (Pitman(NJ) High School class of 1980 proud to say that!)..and now I'm going to college.