Lena's Story

Lena's Story

I married an abusive man who had a severe drinking problem. He would take days off of work and drink terribly. When he would drink he would become particularly abusive. I became pregnant and it didn't stop him. He would still knock me down, shake me, and push me into walls. I put up with it because I loved him. He never remembered the things he would do so I would blame the alcohol instead of him. Our relationship became so bad that I would miss a lot of work and my employer was getting fed up with me.

How I coped:

I started to take pictures of the damage he would do to me and the home. I kept a detailed record day to day. One day he passed out with a glass of beer while holding my baby. Even though I had low self esteem, I was strong when it came to my child. He left the home, I notified the police that he was drunk driving and he went to jail. I moved out while he was in jail and I am staying with my family right now.

How the situation changed:

My husband has now filed for divorce, but not until I went to the court to get a no contact order. He may no longer come near me or he goes to jail. As much as I love him when he's sober, I need this no contact because he is abusive when drunk and if he could come near me I'm sure he could melt his way back into my heart and do it all over again.

What helped me to get stronger:

My baby made me become stronger. I put up with a lot of abuse, but he only had to fail as a parent once for me to take my baby and flee for safety.