The ten year old son of my friend said directly to my face one time "you are just a drunk". I felt grossly insulted at first and felt like giving him a snack but it dawned on me that he was right and he was disappointed when he saw that I was 'just a drunk' like many of his family people were.
Anyway I finally did recover from booze addiction since then and living a better quality life
This post was edited by Kittigate at February 26, 2022 8:06 AM MST
I was going to be the best in a competition, and happened to say it out loud in front of a parent. His response was "you will never be the best, there will always be someone better, smarter, more talented, prettier." Something like that. I felt myself deflate inside and never regained the inner drive I had. Unfortunately he was right on.