Is it ever too late?

Here is some advice from people who actually went through it:

“It depends on the situation, but one of the first things I would say is to ask yourself really hard questions. An example would be, ‘am I afraid of my partners reaction if I say no to sex, and do I frequently endure it to keep the peace? Does this person[s] press me for it even after I’ve said no, or push me to do sexual things that I don’t feel comfortable doing? Such as suggesting they have to find someone else to satisfy their sexual desires if you don’t give them what they want?’” -Kim

“It causes long lasting physical and mental health issues long after people can escape, if they are able.” - Joe

“It seems like you made it all up, and that maybe it is your mind going crazy, you often think maybe it is your fault things happened the way they did, you wonder if somehow you asked for all these uncomfortable situations to happen. It’s easy to blame yourself especially if you're in a relationship with that person, or a relative to that individual. Or if you thought at some points that person was attractive and somehow you caused the bad things to happen. Well, you didn’t. You are never the reason for someone to hurt you.” -Ann

How will I feel after I leave, & what will happen to me?

leaving a negative situation is going to leave scars and bruises and open wounds, whether or not they are visible or not. Leaving is probably one of the toughest things to go through. But it is the most rewarding. However, “7” was started because it takes the average women 7 times to leave an abusive situation for good, some it takes way more. One thing that really makes you wonder about the value on your life is asking yourself the questions, “how long do you want to be miserable?” and that doesn’t mean the average boredom people face, it means how long do you want to continue wasting away in the situation you keep facing. A lot of those going through domestic violence, or even after leaving question the reality of everything, who to trust, what to believe even. Even if you break up or divorce the first few moments may seem perfectly ok, and peaceful. After a short period of time what the other person does or says or thinks will probably scare you the most.

It’s not easy to leave, because the average persone empathizes with people assuming others have the same or similar type of emotions they have. That is the aching truth: Abusive people don’t have feelINGS and don’t care about yours. No amout of, or type of acceptance, affection, appreciation will change that.