Who are abusers?
Abusers can be well educated, personable, and respected in their community. They can be loners, uneducated and criminals.
They can be successful in business, highly intelligent and demonstrate high self-esteem. They may be unable to keep a job, finish school and have low self-confidence. They may have been abused as children, or not. They may have a diagnosable mental illness or disability, or they may be perfectly healthy. They may be drug and/or alcohol users or they may be religious teetotalers. They can be your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, partner, a parent or in short, anyone you have a relationship with can be an abuser.
Who are victims of abuse?
They may have low self-esteem, or they may not. They may have been abused as children, or they might never have been abused before. They may be codependent, but they might not be. They can be mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, children, employees, parishioners, sisters, brothers, or neighbors. They may come from an upper class background and be well educated, or they may not be. In short, anyone can be a victim of abuse.
What are the effects of abuse?
Possible effects of abuse may include: fear, loss of self-confidence, confusion, loneliness, shame, isolation, change in personality, dysfunctional outlook, alcohol or drug abuse, anger, grief, depression, suicidal thoughts, self mutilation, withdrawal, numbness, self-blame, and loss of spirituality.
What do I do if I think I'm being abused?
Educate yourself. Knowledge is power. Learn everything you can about abuse. We have an excellent resource section with links and book recommendations as well as very active forums so you can talk to others who are or have been in similar situations. Do not confront your abuser as this generally escalates the abuse. Learn coping techniques while you decide your course of action. And remember…the abuse is not your fault. No one deserves to be mistreated.
