I think the saying "it never goes away" is anecdotal but based on the experience of just about everyone I have ever known (and I would guess everyone most people here have ever known) seems to be true. But every rule has an exception. And even so, the action to accept yourself IS a choice. Many people either deny this part of themselves (not recommended...that way madness lies) or else do accept it but do not choose to ACT on it due to real life responsibilities that preclude it. Theirs is often a very difficult life, but many make it work somehow.
However, for many it seems to actually increase with age, or, possibly, the ability to block it weakens with time. And, further, only you can know, with a lot of real and honest self appraisal, just how deeply this runs in you and whether it is a CD thing or something more deeply rooted in your identity. Sometimes initial acceptance of self on one level leads to further layers that peel away revealing identity issues you did not realize were there.
That's why we have therapists, right? lol
