I'm just another person living a lie.
Really? Why are you lying so much?
I need to protect my friends and family from the ugly truths
It is best to be honest with family and friends. You can really hurt people if they ever find out the truth and you lied to them.
I know but if I tell the truth I can end up hurting people with the truth.
A truthful hurt is much better than a lying hurt. Sometimes you have to step up and be an adult. If you make believe everything is ok, things start to fall apart and get worse.