Does somebody with a past such as mine stand a chance in dating?

This is a long post so much appreciation to any who take the time to read.

Some background information. Growing up i (24m) was an erratic individual, I was violent and angry at the world, I was manipulative and deceptive. I was always looking for fights and getting into physical confrontation with other guys, most days I had some sort of drama going on. In my romantic relationships I was emotionally abusive, controlling and I am very ashamed to say I was at one point physically abusive towards an ex of mine which resulted in me having a conviction for common assault. I was always going out and getting wasted as an attempt to escape reality (the assault I mention above happened in one of these drunken states) and got myself into some dangerous situations whilst under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

This erratic behaviour continued from the ages of 18 to 21. I can’t remember exactly why I changed, I believe there was many little things leading up to me making a u-turn and turning my life around, but I just knew that this wasn’t the person I wanted to be any more, I was fed up of always being involved in drama, being in survival mode and seeing the world and everyone in it as dangerous the best way I can describe it is that it was like an epiphany. My whole personality and outlook changed, I realised that underneath all of the fear and the anger there was actually a kind, compassionate and empathetic individual whom has always been there but was just overshadowed by the rage and anger I felt inside. I started to view the world through a lens of compassion and kindness instead of fear and anger. I grew up and gained self awareness. I learnt how to handle confrontation assertively instead of aggressively, I stopped deceiving, gossiping or any form of manipulating and instead opted for radical honesty. I cut out all of my toxic friends from my life and surrounded myself with people who had my best interests at heart and I theirs. I found my values and I stuck by them. It’s like I returned to myself, or who I was always meant to be.

I have held down a job for the past 3 years working in healthcare and looking after the elderly, I meditate and journal everyday. I am now back in college and getting my GCSE’s and am in the middle of an application for university to study psychology. The journey I have been on these past few years hasn’t been easy, especially this past year where I have finally come to terms with my childhood. I was abused, mentally, physically and emotionally as a child by my stepfather (such a cliche I know), I was emotionally neglected and abandoned by my mother and bullied and beat up in high school on a regular basis, my father was an alcoholic and I would often witness him becoming violent towards his partners. I have been informally diagnosed with PTSD, or a specific form of PTSD known as complex PTSD and am currently awaiting EMDR therapy to help me reprocess my traumatic past. One good thing that has come from my childhood is the amount for empathy and compassion I have for others, I don’t believe I would have had this had I not suffered myself. Having spent the past year researching this diagnosis I have come to realise how so many of my past erratic behaviours were a trauma response. My constant fighting was a way for me to ensure I wasn’t bullied again or abused again, my controlling behaviour was a way to ensure I wasn’t abandoned again. Although this does not excuse my actions, It all began to click together. But now I am afraid I will never be good enough for anybody, I always hear people saying that abusive people never change and even though I have, I am scared that the world will always see me as who I used to be.