In my 20s, while attending law school at New York University by day and concerts by night, I racked up over $30,000 in credit card debt. I wasn’t thinking about my credit score; I was solely living in the moment.

After three years, I left law school without graduating. The $40,000 salary for my administrative assistant day job barely covered rent and student loans. I made minimum payments on my credit cards, cringing as hefty interest rates ballooned my balance.

A friend whom I confessed all this to advised me to “never declare bankruptcy,” citing a bad experience. He was older and, I assumed, wiser, so I took his words to heart, crossing that option off my list.

Instead, I consolidated my debt with a service that promised to streamline the repayment process. But because my monthly income wasn’t high enough to pay extra toward the principal, I didn’t make much headway after several years of making payments. So I researched bankruptcy options, discovered that I was eligible and decided to file. The process was far less painful than I had anticipated, wiping my debt slate clean.

I regret not filing sooner. Many people avoid filing for bankruptcy out of shame and embarrassment around their financial circumstances, because they receive poor advice or because they’re too proud. But bankruptcy may be a prudent option to eliminate burdensome debt, save a home from foreclosure and end collection calls.

According to Adrienne Hines, a bankruptcy lawyer in Port Clinton, Ohio, who has a popular TikTok account where she offers advice, many of her clients feel they have an obligation to pay off the debt themselves.