This WHEN DATING HURTS episode comes with trigger warnings about descriptions of drugs and horrible violence in relationships. If this story becomes too uncomfortable for you, perhaps turn it off and direct your full attention someplace safe for you.

Marie and her siblings grew up in a family with two parents whose actions underscore they probably never wanted to be parents. They lived in a dangerous neighborhood in New Jersey where falling in with the wrong crowd was practically a guarantee.

Marie's sister was an attractive blonde who had great difficulty in school starting in the fifth grade due to relentless "mean-girls-style" bullying. So, she stopped attending school completely. In fact, Marie's sister did not attend the remainder of elementary school or high school.

That left her with too much time, and she fell in with the worst characters in the neighborhood. A crowd that would victimize her continuously with drugs and unwanted sexual encounters.

Listening to this WHEN DATING HURTS episode, it will become a temptation to "victim blame" Marie's sister and/or Marie's family. Maybe some of that is deserved. But Marie's sister's spoken and unspoken "cries for help" were never satisfied. She did what she could without support.

The takeaway is: without helping our young in their formative years, they might seek "love and attention" in places that can be horribly unhealthy. Sometimes, "fatally" unhealthy.

This is Marie's story about her sister, her family, and herself.

Bill Mitchell

NOTE:

If you are a survivor and want to share your story of abuse on the WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast, please email me: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠

The ⁠⁠⁠⁠WHEN DATING HURTS book⁠⁠⁠⁠ (in paperback, eBook, and audiobook) can be found on Amazon.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline – ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Hotline.org ⁠⁠⁠⁠– Call 800-799-SAFE

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠LoveIsRespect⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Call 866-331-9474

• RAINN (Rape Abuse Incest National Network) – ⁠⁠⁠⁠RAINN.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Call 800-656-4673

• SUICIDE HELPLINE: Call 988

Thank you for listening to our WHEN DATING HURTS podcast,

Bill Mitchell

⁠⁠⁠⁠WhenDatingHurts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

DISCLAIMER:

The WHEN DATING HURTS Podcast is providing this platform for information to be shared. We do not state with any certainty that anything is true or untrue. Understand that what you hear is the viewpoint of the people sharing. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only. Any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.

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