National Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Domestic Violence Can Happen to Anyone Mental Health

Just last night I had a conversation with a coworker about men who had abused us. The stories were very different, but also very much the same.

She was just a young girl, 14, when she started dating her abuser. She told me she became pregnant, had a baby with her boyfriend, and even after he punched her in the mouth while pregnant, she stayed with him. She also went on to have another child with him. She said she didn't know any better – she was scared and alone.

I was married, in my 40s, and my abuser was my husband who had never been violent. Alcohol fueled his fury, and I stayed a little longer than I should have because of finances and fear of surviving on my own.

Luckily, both of us got out alive.

Two very different stories: She was young, uneducated and scared. I was older, educated and scared.

Domestic violence can happen to anyone.

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