I learnt from my childhood experiences always put yourself first no matter what. In my teenage years I never got on with my mother`s boyfriend so after one fight one night between me and him. The police were called and came and said to my mother "Either he goes or he goes?"
As he was helping her pay the mortage I got the boot out on the street. I stayed with both of my grandmothers and the family turned against them as I was staying with them. My so called uncles said "If you do not kick him out we will never talk to you again!"
So after that I just realised families are just an illusion. As they only see you mostly on holidays like Easter, Christmas and the sunshine summer. In the other times of the year you are invisible to them all.
If you do not put yourself first in life you will become half the person you are meant to be.
I'm sorry to hear this story man ... I must say though I have also had a few moments in my life where I realized that I can only really count on myself. It's a freaking scary feeling but the earlier you realize it the better off you are
I think a lot of people don`t wake up into like their 30s or 40s or like something negative has happened to them. By that time I was pretty awake as a teenage as 3 years before I got hit by a car when crossing the road and that incident opened me up to what my meaning of life was going to be about. I do think if early in life if you suffer from a lot of negativity it will either break or make you as a person. If it does not break you, you will just gain much more mindset muscle throughout your life.