Our stories
No need to respond on F and A @Former-Member - you have enough of your own stuff to deal with right now and the focus needs to be on you and your safety. 
You say you don't have the strength to leave but honestly Hon it takes more strength to stay. I completely understand that feeling that you are stuck in a situation you can't get out of - it is never as easy as simply leaving and I know that as much as anyone in a simialr situation. It took me years to get out and it took for me to nearly die to be able to do that ...and in the end t wasn't me who left but he did. I then lived with the fear every day that he would come back but knowing that I would never have him back either ...that was because of the realisation (finally) that my life was in danger and although I often wish he had succeeded that night I was never going to allow him to have that control over me anymore. It was a complete switch in my thinking and took a near death experience to in a way shock me into thinking that way. That was not strength but survival. As you know such experiences change you - they are not something you come back from easily and take a long time to get over (if we ever do). So your strength Hon is in you surviving every day - there is no right or wrong here, leaving or staying - you alone know your circumstances and you alone has to deal with your own life ...no-one can judge you on those decisions as they do not know how hard it is to live your life or endure what you do ...so do not say you do not have strength Sherry becuse from where I sit you have strength in abundance ...strength and courage comes in many forms and you epitomise both ...those who say 'just leave' have no idea how hard that is or how strong that pull is from the control of the situation ...DV is consuming Hon 
