Hi, this is my first day here. Today I got caught stealing for the first time. I feel awful and I’m scared. I wish there was an undo button. I don’t know what else to do but join a kleptomaniac support group. I’m banned from my local mall for 6 months. The store owner gave me a Civil Demand notice. I have no idea what that means! I’ve been stealing small things for years now but this time has to be the last.
1 Heart
I'm so glad you came for support. It's a step in the right direction. Can you recall the very first time you stole? And if so, was there any traumatic event that was happening you may have acted out on in your life?
The first time I stole was when I was in 7th grade. My parents had allowed a family to live with us for a little bit while they found a new home. They invaded my personal space and my parents did nothing. So I stole a ring to act out.
I hadn’t stollen again until I was 19. I had stollen loose change and alcohol from my parents every now and then but I think most teenagers do. When I was almost 20 I started stealing alcohol. I did this because I was suicidal and the alcohol numbed it for a little bit
1 Heart
@FairygirlVT Fairygirl is a cute profile name. : )
So do you think your parents knew you stole? Were you punished? Do you remember how you felt back in the 7th grade? I feel like the alcohol is probably a separate issue, though it may be stemming from the same pain you were in. I'm not a psychologist. I used to do counseling for domestic violence and also for chemical dependency. I'm also a chaplain. So what I'm saying is, i'm not exactly a licensed therapist. But I'm getting a sense that during that period you were in a lot of pain. And no doubt you were, if you felt suicidal. So to be honest I did know lots of teenagers who were doing this stuff, acting out. Yet now you're an adult, I can only assume because you said when you were 20 you stole booze. When people in AA do the 12 step program, they take a fearless moral inventory of their lives. Did the drinking continue?
@Scat they found out short after. I wasn’t punished but the did say they were dissapointed. I was lonley and I felt like a wilted flower.
I’m 20 now and I’m about a week sober.