--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My parents were at a total loss. I was…" description: "\"“My parents were at a total loss. I was going nowhere and I was irritable and hostile.”\" — Alcoholics Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_parenting_my-parents-were-at-a-total-loss-i-was-go_984637.jpg" --- # My parents were at a total loss. I was going nowhere and I… ![“My parents were at a total loss. I was going nowhere and I was irritable and hostile.” quote by Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_parenting_my-parents-were-at-a-total-loss-i-was-go_984637.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_parenting_my-parents-were-at-a-total-loss-i-was-go_984637.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff0/alcoholics-anonymous-4926_parenting_my-parents-were-at-a-total-loss-i-was-go_984637.jpg) > ““My parents were at a total loss. I was going nowhere and I was irritable and hostile.”” [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author describes personal turmoil: feeling lost, irritable, and hostile, highlighting the need for change. **In simple terms:** Feeling lost and angry signals a crisis. Key Takeaway Seek help when emotions overwhelm. Themes addiction mental health crisis self‑awareness Mood reflective empathetic Type motivational supportive When to use this quote - rehab - therapy - support groups - personal reflection Key Concepts despair irritability hostility Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your irritability? - How can you channel hostility constructively? A Different Perspective Self‑recognition can be painful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Going Irritable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-irritable-1976209/) [Hostile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostile/) [Irritable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irritable/) [Irritable Hostile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irritable-hostile-1976208/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm going on a diet.  (Crud, I know) I am going to be cranky. I am going to be irritable. I am going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/i-m-going-on-a-diet-crud-i-know-i-am-going-to-be-cranky-i-am-going-to/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“I was turning into a zombie as I was aging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-was-turning-into-a-zombie-as-i-was-aging/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“No one was irritable; we have never known anyone to remain unhappy while digesting a good meal. We enjoy lingering in a becalmed state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/no-one-was-irritable-we-have-never-known-anyone-to-remain-unhappy/) [Honoré de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [aven, I have given up smoking again!... God! I feel fit. Homicidal, but fit. A different man. Irritable, moody, depressed, rude, nervy, perhaps; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/aven-i-have-given-up-smoking-again-god-i-feel-fit-homicidal-but-fit-a/) [A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/) > [Sigmund Freud makes people irritable. Whenever someone mentions Freud, say, at a dinner party, I see eyes roll and listen to the nasty remarks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/sigmund-freud-makes-people-irritable-whenever-someone-mentions-freud/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Can any one deny that the old Israelites conceived Jahveh not only in the image of a man, but in that of a changeable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/can-any-one-deny-that-the-old-israelites-conceived-jahveh-not-only-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think some people have verbal irritable bowel syndrome they just can't seem to control the SHIT that comes out of their mouth...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/i-think-some-people-have-verbal-irritable-bowel-syndrome-they-just/) [Hemantsmarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemantsmarty/) > [In fact, I can be really grumpy and irritable, well that's what my husband says.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-page/in-fact-i-can-be-really-grumpy-and-irritable-well-that-s-what-my/) [Joanna Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-page/) > [“No! I'm not ready, this is still my first cup of coffee!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/no-i-m-not-ready-this-is-still-my-first-cup-of-coffee/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [Because of my bipolar disorder, I tend to these mixed states, which are depressed but loud and agitated. So I can be terribly irritable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/because-of-my-bipolar-disorder-i-tend-to-these-mixed-states-which-are/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [“I could always tell when I was ready to write again, for I became irritable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-dalby/i-could-always-tell-when-i-was-ready-to-write-again-for-i-became/) [Liza Dalby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-dalby/) > [“There are people who take exceeding pleasure in their own irritable touchiness, especially when it reaches the final limit (which always happens very quickly);…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/there-are-people-who-take-exceeding-pleasure-in-their-own-irritable/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Walk a day in my shoes and you'd be irritable too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-gosselin/walk-a-day-in-my-shoes-and-you-d-be-irritable-too/) [Kate Gosselin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-gosselin/) > [“The constant mental fight made him irritable. He had never had a temper before. Some days, he felt as if his entire body were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-alger/the-constant-mental-fight-made-him-irritable-he-had-never-had-a/) [Cristina Alger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-alger/) > [I get very anti-social, depressed and irritable with people. I don't have time for them. I can't make phone calls and stuff. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/i-get-very-anti-social-depressed-and-irritable-with-people-i-don-t/) [Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/) ## More by Alcoholics Anonymous > [“and I actually talked about God, the one who had abandoned me when I was very little, very frightened, and very hurt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/and-i-actually-talked-about-god-the-one-who-had-abandoned-me-when-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“New Year’s resolutions I recycled for a dozen years while my drinking and my life kept getting worse. Alcohol had enslaved me. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/new-year-s-resolutions-i-recycled-for-a-dozen-years-while-my-drinking/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“The horrors grew. Inner horrors. On the surface it looked as though I was more or less keeping it together, but day by day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/the-horrors-grew-inner-horrors-on-the-surface-it-looked-as-though-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“How I ran my home, I don’t know. I went on, realizing what I was becoming, hating myself for it, bitter, blaming life, blaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/how-i-ran-my-home-i-don-t-know-i-went-on-realizing-what-i-was/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Acceptance is the answer to all my problemskey to all my problems today.When I am distrubed, it is because I find some person, place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/acceptance-is-the-answer-to-all-my-problemskey-to-all-my-problems/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“It’s like a man standing on a bridge in the middle of a river with his pants on fire wondering why his pants are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/it-s-like-a-man-standing-on-a-bridge-in-the-middle-of-a-river-with/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“But in the light of the new understanding that I have found in A.A., I have been able to interpret that defeat and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/but-in-the-light-of-the-new-understanding-that-i-have-found-in-a-a-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I actually wanted a drink, besides feeling that I had to have a drink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-actually-wanted-a-drink-besides-feeling-that-i-had-to-have-a-drink/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“When I got home in the evening, I drank at least half the fifth in front of the television set and watched reruns until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/when-i-got-home-in-the-evening-i-drank-at-least-half-the-fifth-in/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I wondered how this misery would end. I was full of fear. I was afraid to tell others what I felt lest they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-wondered-how-this-misery-would-end-i-was-full-of-fear-i-was-afraid/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“I tried everything. I moved a thousand miles away from home to Chicago and a new environment. I studied art; I desperately endeavored to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/i-tried-everything-i-moved-a-thousand-miles-away-from-home-to-chicago/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Dishonest thinking, prejudice, ego, antagonism toward anyone and everyone who dares to cross him, vanity, and a critical attitude are character defects that gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/dishonest-thinking-prejudice-ego-antagonism-toward-anyone-and/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“We must lose our fear of creditors no matter how far we have to go, for we are liable to drink if we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/we-must-lose-our-fear-of-creditors-no-matter-how-far-we-have-to-go/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“So I continued spinning fantasies, and now alcohol fueled my dreams. I would make great discoveries, win the Nobel Prize in medicine and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/so-i-continued-spinning-fantasies-and-now-alcohol-fueled-my-dreams-i/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) > [“Above all, I am grateful to A.A. for my sobriety, which means so much to my family, friends, and business associates, because God and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alcoholics-anonymous/above-all-i-am-grateful-to-a-a-for-my-sobriety-which-means-so-much-to/) [Alcoholics Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) [Explore all 105 Alcoholics Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alcoholics-anonymous/) ## More Hostile quotes > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Dominion is a spy novel, a love story, and also I hope gives some sense of the difficulties faced by dissidents under any totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-sansom/dominion-is-a-spy-novel-a-love-story-and-also-i-hope-gives-some-sense/) [C.J. Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-sansom/) > [It is easy to speak words of love, or to meditate lovingly upon those people with whom you are in harmony. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ponder/it-is-easy-to-speak-words-of-love-or-to-meditate-lovingly-upon-those/) [Catherine Ponder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ponder/) > [How could a readiness for war in time of peace be safely prohibited, unless we could prohibit, in like manner, the preparations and establishments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/how-could-a-readiness-for-war-in-time-of-peace-be-safely-prohibited/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Many men without morals have attacked religion because it was contrary to their inclinations. Many wise men have despised it because it seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-d-holbach/many-men-without-morals-have-attacked-religion-because-it-was/) [Baron d'Holbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-d-holbach/) > [If America is truly Israel's greatest ally, we should not be asking it to put its citizens and future at risk by forcing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hasner/if-america-is-truly-israel-s-greatest-ally-we-should-not-be-asking-it/) [Adam Hasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hasner/) > [It's hardly news that the Obama administration is intensely and, in many respects, unprecedentedly hostile toward the news-gathering process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/it-s-hardly-news-that-the-obama-administration-is-intensely-and-in/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to assume that their president, hostile to the principles that formed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shapiro/when-in-the-course-of-human-events-it-becomes-necessary-for-one/) [David Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shapiro/) > [I know whenever it comes to be really dysfunctional and vile and base and hostile on screen, I'm good at that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-know-whenever-it-comes-to-be-really-dysfunctional-and-vile-and-base/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Of all hostile feelings, envy is perhaps the hardest to be subdued, because hardly any one owns it even to himself, but looks out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/of-all-hostile-feelings-envy-is-perhaps-the-hardest-to-be-subdued/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Like the early Christians, we must move into a sometime hostile world armed with the revolutionary gospel of Jesus Christ. With this powerful gospel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/like-the-early-christians-we-must-move-into-a-sometime-hostile-world/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [It was both fascinating and appalling to learn that chimpanzees were capable of hostile and territorial behavior that was not unlike certain forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/it-was-both-fascinating-and-appalling-to-learn-that-chimpanzees-were/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“The environments that are the most hostile from the standpoint of rationality are those that are the most commercial.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heath/the-environments-that-are-the-most-hostile-from-the-standpoint-of/) [Joseph Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heath/) [Browse all 544 Hostile quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostile/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My parents were at a total loss. 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