I always figured there are people similar to me on the other side of the dating aisle but I never expected to read a post that could mostly have feasibly been written by me, just with the gender swapped. I don't do the AI S/O stuff, but its only really because I set up a "not allowed" barrier in my brain for it. I feel the same way you do about feeling guilt from potentially stealing someone from the dating pool or stealing a better future from the hypothetical person I'd then be with.

It's always easier to comment on others situations than to act on my own, so I'll go ahead and with you luck with your journey. It may not always feel like it, but you have so much time still in the world to experience and learn so many cool things and, if you wish it, share them with someone else special to you. I'm glad you've started talking to a professional, and while I probably won't recognize your username moving forward or anything (bad memory), in this moment I'm really rooting for ya.