Well I stopped drinking. That was actually a big deal. I didn't go through any harrowing rock-bottom experience. I just made a decision to stop drinking.
When I was seventeen I worked as a counsellor at a co-ed sleep-away camp for eight weeks. I loved it but it could be harrowing - it was far too much responsibility for someone my age.
Forget romantic fiction a survey has found that most women would rather read a good book than go shopping have sex or sleep.