Hello boncliffkennels: The Skeezyks knows something of this... at least the part about avoiding facing one's problems. I did this for many years... decades really... to the point where it was too late to do anything about any of it.

I don't know how one begins to face their own problems & solve them... other than by making a start somewhere... putting one foot in front of the other, as the saying goes. From my perspective, I think one simply has to commit to a path & follow it one step at a time, without looking too far ahead, & without giving up... no matter how small the progress seems to be... no matter the obstacles... even when at times it seems there is no progress at all. That's the only way I know. There are no hidden secrets.

I think in my case, to some extent, what has happened is I've simply reached an age where it just doesn't matter anymore. I've been on psych med's in the past. Mostly they just made me groggy. I've seen a few different therapists for brief periods. None of them were helpful. At this point, I pretty-much just keep to myself. I simply strive to accept things the way they are. It's too late to change any of it. So, I guess from that perspective, I'm probably not the best person to be replying to your post. But I wish you well with your search.