I have been in your situation, Lostislost. I would not necessarily say that people did not have thr guts to warn me. Rather, they either did not care enough even though they purported to care very much, or, they weren't intelligent enough to realize what was going on, or, they simply wanted me to suffer, perhaps subconsciously, through envy, jealousy or other long harbored grudges.

Some of the negative consequences of those times long past are still with me. But overall, I have charted a really good path for myself and people I care deeply about and now am surrounded by those who do help and whom I help, too. So it is about having the right people on your social orbit.