u/Hot-Classic9743

Ali is honestly the best character in Euphoria to me and a huge part of that is the spiritual side of his character. The show is so full of chaos and self destruction and people hurting themselves and each other, and Ali feels like one of the only characters who actively tries to grow through accountability and faith, and that gives him this steady, grounded energy in a show that’s otherwise completely unhinged. Not to take away from Rue’s own spiritual journey at all, because she’s clearly trying to find her way too. I just really love the way his faith is written because it doesn’t feel fake or preachy. It feels real. He talks about forgiveness, accountability, addiction, guilt, and redemption in a way that feels like it actually comes from lived experience. You can tell he’s done terrible things in his past and knows that, but instead of acting self righteous he’s constantly trying to grow and make peace with himself and God. He’s focused on accountability in his own life and his faith in God, and in that sense he’s found his higher calling in trying to save others from the same path of addiction he was once on. His conversations with Rue are some of the most powerful scenes in the whole show to me because he understands addiction in such a deep way. He doesn’t talk to her like she’s broken forever, but he also refuses to lie to her or enable her. There’s something really comforting about his presence in the show. He brings this calmness and wisdom that makes every scene feel heavier emotionally. And Colman Domingo plays him perfectly. The diner scene, the meetings, all the moments where he talks about faith and forgiveness honestly hit harder for me than most of the huge dramatic scenes people focus on.

I sent in the referral form for myself last night and received a call this morning. They needed a little more information and said I should hear back within 10 days or so. I didn't know about this program before but it sounds like it's exactly what I need to re-enter the workforce and maintain employment in a sustainable way. My mental health took so many years from me but with a lot of self work, I've finally gotten to a place where I feel I am ready to be a productive, active member of society again. Hoping that I get in to this program and I can finally get out of this financial hole that I dug. It's gonna be hard and its gonna take time, but I'm ready. Wish me luck, ya'll.

My second born son was placed for adoption in 2017. I had an adoption plan/agreement with the family. Nice, christian family. They already had one adopted son and they really just seemed like a good fit on the outside. We emailed all the time, talked on the phone, they'd send gifts and pay for anything I wanted, even pay my bills. I decided in my plan that I wanted my son to go straight to the family after being born so they could begin bonding right away. I held him once and then left the hospital right after in hopes that would make it hurt less. Off he went to his new home in a neighboring state. I had 10 days to change my mind but I didn't. I deeply regret that to this day.

We agreed that the adoption would be open, they would keep regular contact to give us updates on him and send pictures, and we would be able to come visit any time. I wanted this so bad. Just for him to have a better life than I could have provided at the time. But they never kept their word. Multiple family members and myself have them added on Facebook and they only ever post pictures of them with their first adopted son and literally no pictures of them together with MY son in them, which was the first red flag. I've messaged the adoptive mother multiple times over the years basically begging for any kind of updates or pictures and desperately trying to make plans, within reason of course. I know they have their own lives and their own struggles so I've been very patient and understanding. I haven't seen my son in 8 years because she always has excuses for why we can't come or never acts interested in making plans for us to visit.

They texted me a couple years ago and told me that my son has level 2 autism and requires special treatment. Then they said that someone called child services on them and both their children were taken away. This completely destroyed me. All I wanted was for him to have a better life and now he has no stability and is in foster care and is probably going to struggle so much in life dealing with the trauma of being adopted and now growing up in the foster care system, especially as a kid who is autistic. My mother and I have sent so many emails, made so many phone calls, I even debated traveling to their state dcfs office to try to get some answers. My mom got a hold of someone on the phone but they told her that if he was in the system, a case worker would reach out. Still haven't heard anything. I was trying to hold on to hope that my mother could maybe adopt my son and he'd be back in the family and he'd have actual stability, but i don't know any more. I don't know what else I can do.

The guilt from my decision eats at me on a daily basis. And to add to it all, my second born's older brother wonders why we gave his little brother away and why we can't see him and I have to explain this to a 9 year old. I was so young, naive, and scared back then. All I knew was that I wanted him to have a life that I couldnt provide, a good life with people who were financially and mentally stable. I wasn't on good terms with the people in my family who could have adopted him back then, and my grandma was too old... I was severely mentally ill and my relationship at the time with his father was abusive and toxic. Plus we were struggling with poverty. I tried to save him from a mess and created an even bigger one in the process.

I'm not sure how well birth parent posts are received in this sub but I just want to put my story out there as a warning to anyone considering adoption. My experience is the unfortunate reality of so many adoption stories. They give you all the support you need, pay for everything, tell you what you want to hear and make it sound like its an actual agreement they'll abide by, send you a check, then completely discard you if they want. And they do. Once you sign your rights away, you have absolutely no say so on anything even if there was an agreement. And you're not the only one making a sacrifice either. Your decision to place for adoption not only effects you but it effects all your family members too. I hurt many people making this decision. 8 years later, I now know that keeping him would have been fine and everything would have worked out. Can't change it now though. All I can do is pray for him and pray that he will be okay.