I got out at thirty so was able to make up for lost time to a certain extent. I would love to have physically gone to university instead of getting a degree through distance learning. I would have liked to have had a more interesting career but I graduated in my forties with a young child so that made it difficult. Of course that was a happy thing because I'm so glad I had her.
Losing all my family and friends? What kind of friends ditch you because you have a different view to their religion. As for my siblings, they're still hanging on to that ridiculous pretence that after 28 years treating me like a leper it's because of their deep love for me. I am well out of a family like that, damaged, manipulative people who can't admit even to themselves that my leaving shook their belief system to the core and that's the only reason they want to pretend I'm dead.
Did it ruin my life, it didn't help that's for sure but in some respects it saved me from the abusive elements in my life I needed to ditch.