Don't Ignore the Elephant in the Room… Addiction Can Become an Abusive Situation- Fast!

It’s hard to love someone who hurts us over and over again; addicts hurt people.

When my husband was in active addiction, he made me feel like I was losing my mind. My intuition would kick in, and I’d sense something wasn’t right. I would ask him about it and he would turn it back onto me. Accusing me of, “Focusing on the negative” or give some overly-detailed, incredible story to explain the situation. As it turns out, most of the time my intuition was spot on! I had not let my imagination get the best of me. My husband was gaslighting me, one of many types of psychological abuse.

Family, AbuseKara BenefieldMay 29, 2018Grey Ministriesabuse escalating in marriage, Married to an addict abuser, What kind of abuse is it?, know the signs of psychological abuse, boundaries with a spouse, gaslighting Comment

How Does a Parent’s Addiction Affect the Child?

Addiction is an insatiable beast. There’s really no way to sugarcoat this tragic reality. Once the beast of addiction has sunk its claws into its victim, everything begins to change. The sparkling person once full of life no longer has the light shining from their eyes. In its place is a dull and empty glaze. The person that was once present, caring and transparent has become elusive, angry, and numbed to reality.

Family, Abuse, ParentingLindsey ZitzmannAugust 27, 2017Leah Greyis staying with an addict abusive to the child, tale of two wolves Comments

Six Signs the Abuse in Your Marriage is Escalating

One of the real dangers of staying in an abusive marriage is that abuse generally escalates. Boundaries are nudged, pushed, and eventually outright challenged so that you find yourself submitting to abuse that would once be unthinkable. Humans acclimate to a wide variety of situations, but in an abusive marriage, this adaptability comes eventually at a severe cost. The first time I truly realized I was in an abusive marriage was about nine years into the marriage. Before I used the word ‘abusive’, I generally used the word ‘controlling’. No one likes to face the fact that they are abused.

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(With God!) You Can Overcome Your History of Abuse

I can remember sitting in a women's group hearing the testimony of another woman thinking to myself, "How did she know my story?" As she described the abuse she endured, I became uncomfortable in my seat. Part of me wanted to run out of the meeting and the other part of me felt slightly relieved to know that I was not alone. I had buried the sexual abuse that I had been subjected to and acted as though it had never happened. I often told myself that if I didn't remember it, then it didn't happen. That thinking, unfortunately, did more damage than good both mentally and emotionally.

What Kind of Abuse is it? Five Traits of a Narcissist

While it is tempting to equate all kinds of abuse as pretty much the same, narcissistic abuse has a few characteristics outside the boundaries of emotional abuse. Obviously narcissistic abusers are emotionally abusive, but the goals of a narcissist are significantly different from those of a person who is emotionally abusive. Knowing the difference is helpful. Narcissistic abuse requires a different approach to recovery, though the healing path from any kind of abuse is difficult.

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The Day God Set Me Free from My Marriage

It was my fear of divorce that kept me from escaping a narcissistic abuser for fourteen years. Now, seventeen years out from that disaster, my regrets center around not leaving far earlier. I lived in a lot of denial for years. One has to cultivate denial in order to survive, much less stay, in a marriage that was as abusive as mine.

25 Signs You're Experiencing Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse isn't something we can see. It would be obvious someone is hurting us if they always left bruises, but when our emotions are bruised, it can be confusing to identify abuse.

It's a, "If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one around, does it make a sound?” situation.

Not surprisingly, there are plenty of experts who believe emotional abuse is more damaging than physical abuse because it often happens every day.

Mental Health, AbuseLeahJanuary 29, 2016Grey Ministrieshow to live with a drug addicted spouse, Healing and Recovery for Addicts and their Families, how to forgive someone, Anxiety about a spouse's addiction, what it's like to love an addict, what to do when someone you love has an addiction, what does God say about forgiveness, What to do when you love an addict, my husband is an addict what do I do, married to an addict in recovery, Married to an Addict, married to a drug addict, Leah Grey, being married to an addict Comments