What's love got to do with it? Learning what love is and how to love myself came with a price. I grew up in an unloving home and abuse was a general curse in my family. My grandmother, my mom, aunts, and my sister were all abused. I saw my mother being abused so I thought it was normal. I thought it was a way for a man to show you that he loved you. Once I left the nest at the early age of 17 years due to child abuse, I started my journey of looking for someone to love me. My thirst to feel and be loved lead me into the arms of the wrong men and I used alcohol as my coping mechanism.