You know, Susan, even people who don't suffer from PTSD find it difficult to assimilate just how wicked the behaviour of people they know and love -- or even just like -- can be. The act of bringing a person into the charmed circle of home and family, as you did with your ex-housemate the druggie and friend of meth dealers, seems to cancel part of our instinct for self-protection. It makes sense; we can't relax and get comfortable in our homes (which is what home is for) if we remain on guard against the people we live with.

Life's a bitch sometimes.