Originally Posted by
jennygirl73 
I am not financially able to leave, and being a child of divorce, I do not want that for my daughter.
I just wanted to add that the financial barriers, while scary, are conquerable in small, measurable steps.
So you're not ready to go.
Ok.
You don't have to go.
But I felt a lot less afraid when I started getting ready - opening my own checking account, arranging childcare, going back to school, looking for a job for myself, etc...
It didn't all happen at once, but slowly, I became able to
decide if I wanted to stay in the relationship or not. It was no longer a matter of necessity.
That was freeing.
I started to picture myself and my child, free from the chaos of alcoholism, in a home that I was able to provide for us.
And I started taking steps (sometimes teeny-tiny ones) toward that picture.
I've never regretted it.
-TC