Various life circumstances can force relationships with friends and family to change.
But what happens when the people you care about change?
A friend or family member becoming someone you no longer recognize due to making poor life choices can be devastating.
But not all changes are for the worse. Sometimes, someone you're close with who – does a complete 180 and becomes a better person – is commendable.
We all have the capacity for improvement, but does that mean we transform into completely different people?
Curious about the experiences of strangers on the internet, Redditor gigi_c16 asked:
What person did you watch turn into something they were not?
Peer Pressure
"I had a best friend who was honestly one of the nicest people on the planet, but due to depression and peer pressure from toxic people, she began shoplifting and getting into drugs. She stopped caring about people and start doing such risky things that I couldn't even hang out with her without feeling unsafe. She ended up getting me in so much trouble one time, that her mom (who considered me another daughter) told me that we had to separate to protect me from harm and trouble. I miss her family cause they really were another family to me, but she refused to take responsibility and continued being put in dangerous situations."
The Dad Who Fell Into Trouble
"I have a friend from my childhood who's parents really went down the wrong path. I played sports with him and was in school with him from age 3 to graduation. His dad was always his biggest supporter and always sat next to my parents at every game. He was seriously such a nice guy. When we got into high school this kids house was the hang out. Nobody knocked and at any given time there would be 5-10 kids hanging out there. In my four years of high school I watched his dad go from a fun loving easy going dude who loved his kids, to a guy who steals and robs to get his hands on any drug he could put into his body. We took in my friend to live with us when his dad skipped bail and was the subject of a state wide man hunt. It got to the point where he was doing drugs in the house with his oldest son. Seriously one of the saddest things I've ever seen."
The Great Aunt
"after my tight laced, pearl-wearing great aunt had a stroke, she turned into a foul-mouthed, swearing sailor. so sad, yet so flippin hilarious."
Wayward Cowboy
"One of my classmates grew up and decided he was going to be a cowboy. Hat, boots, occasionally chaps... which is fine, except having grown up with him i can pretty safely say he's never worked or lived on any type of farm or ranch and I'm pretty sure he's never even ridden a horse. We are from a very small town and he didn't associate with the horse. He was the emo/punk kid! And everyone liked him for it, he was considering super cool. Now he's a fake cowboy, and most of his hometown friends actually do farm or ranch... and we all know that he doesn't. I don't get it. But its embarrassing watching him throw around country jargon that doesn't make sense. I don't know why he's trying so hard and I don't know where this came from."
Effects Of Schizophrenia
"One of my best friends from childhood ended up with schizophrenia. I watched him turn from a killer musician loving friend and trend setter into a delusional paranoid that refused to take psych meds but self medicated with alcohol."
Former High School Friend
"An former high school friend with 80-85 ish % average in class, turned into a Hells Angels in his 20s or 30s, murdered people, then died by homicide. Those events took place a very long, long time ago."
People Can Change
"My father used to beat the crap out of me as a kid. My siblings too. Purely randomly he would come home late at night, completely sober, and beat the sh*t out of us because he felt like something had been done incorrectly. At about 40 years old he went out one day and bought a drift boat and started fishing. He hasn't been the same since. He is still boisterous and sometimes crosses lines verbally, but he is generally quick to apologize and has been learning ever since. I didn't realize people could change."
Life Change
"I went from an alcoholic, 0.22 gpa, academic probation, almost on death's door from overdosing a billion times on various drugs, in a dead end pizza job, no friends, living with my abusive parents...."
"to a sober soon-to-be university student with 3.25gpa STEM major, improving mental health, a fantastic boyfriend, and a place to call my own in six months from now."
"Life can get better."
Mama Chef
"My mom went from being a good cook to an absolute legend in her 50s. Like, I've eaten at some of the best restaurants in all of Europe and her food is still in my top 5."
Depression
"I was a hellion as a teenager. Didnt help that no one took my mental health issues seriously because I was 'just a teenager.' I got better, learned my own coping mechanisms, grew as a person, but I guess I never completely got over things at age 18, because the depression symptom-switched into an eating disorder."
"No one took my ED seriously either (I reached 80lbs at one point), but I have since self-recovered. I have lingering issues around food and I am very socially withdrawn, but relatively speaking, I am much better now. I'm physically healthy for the first time in my life, I no longer lash out at people (although I still struggle to give others the attention they deserve).
– ramune_0
What The Pandemic Did
"My mom. She went from your average stay-at home denim jacket wearing Canadian mother who loved coffee and Angel statues and would listen to upbeat optimistic songs like 'Walking on Sunshine' and 'Don't stop thinking about tomorrow' and turned into an alcoholic leather jacket hoarder that partied every day of the week and collected band and beer memorabilia and only ever listened to music about drinking, f'king and being on drugs when she met my step-dad when I was 11."
"Things went from her taking care of me and parenting me, to me having to grow up real fast so I could take care of her and parent myself."
"Oddly enough though the pandemic has turned her around again. Being in quarantine and not being able to have 20 people over every night has made her desire to drink flatline and also given her plenty of time to go through and clean out her house. I'm proud of her right now, but I'm also worried that she'll wind up reverting as soon as [the pandemic]'s over and she can see her 'friends' again. All I can do is hope that her progress will stick."
– Morosoro
