You are right when you say it is a learning curve, this is how we gain experience no matter how sad it is acquired, there is nothing we can do rather than to use it as a driving factor.
My son got 18 two years ago... He is "trying" to act as an adult, and he is going through the perfect phase of the "learning curve"... 😃 Getting hit by "real life", trying to live by his own, paying his speeding and parking tickets, etc. So many "failures", but I can't see a better way to learn and to become a better human than that journey... There are no words I can say to him to make a bigger impact on him as a person than life experiences from tough times in life... A blessing and a curse...
I know you are going through some hard times at the moment, but you will get through as you have a good attitude, even when it hurts a lot...
All the best, my friend! 🍻