Originally Posted by
groomer1 
FreeingMyself, don't beat yourself up for your own timetable. I have been there recently myself. Everyone around me saw his outrageous behavior and asked me why I still gave him the time of day. No one has been in the relationship except the two of you. I found myself trying to convince people of the good person I saw deep within him, the secrets he confided in his sober moments to only me, not even to his ex-wife or daughter, and the intimate moments our souls connected. It was only when I couldn't hurt any more that I had to surrender, and I have always been a sore loser. I so wanted the storybook ending, but the pain became too great. Be gentle with yourself; only you know when the time is right and you can say with confidence you are ready to turn the corner..
:
Your comments are wonderful and I am so grateful to have stumbled upon this site!! I am also going through similar circumstances and feel like I've actually been hiding from everyone because of the shame and feeling of weakness I have felt for many months. I wish it had not taken me getting ill and losing a job to figure out I cannot battle this for someone else. As I want to better my life, people have to make their own decisions in their own time. I hope I can be as strong as so many other people here on this site.