First off, divorce is not a decision to make on a whim, especially if children or a high amount of assets are involved. Divorce is an investigation into the life of both partners. Your past, present, and future personal and financial lives are examined for defense and attack strategies for and against you.
That said, there are situations where the divorce should be at the top of your mind. Sometimes, your safety and mental health can depend on whether you can let go.
In the situations outlined below, divorce is likely the best choice for all involved.
- Your partner is a consistent addict: Many former addicts admit addiction is a disease and those in recovery will be recovering their entire lives as they manage their addiction day by day. Some manage their addiction for the rest of their lives and don’t have another drop of alcohol, pop another pill or use another syringe. Others either never kick the addiction or consistently relapse. Community and support are key to beating an addiction, but everyone must have a cutoff point. At some point, if your partner can’t let go of the addiction and you want a better life for yourself, you may have to let go of your partner.
- Your partner is verbally and/or physically abusive: This situation is more of a no-brainer. You may be in a similar situation or know somebody who is and can’t understand why you or your family member or friend is still suffering in such a mentally and physically traumatic situation? Many of the people who abuse their partners are narcissists or sociopaths and are very good at gaining control of and manipulating their partner. If this is your situation or the situation of someone you love, make sure you have a plan in place that will ensure your safety before you pack your bags and leave. You can seek shelter and counseling services by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
- One of you doesn’t want children: This is more common than you think. Either both partners agree to wanting children early in the relationship and then one partner changes their mind for a variety of reasons, or, because it’s a polarizing topic, assumptions are made, or the conversation is avoided until it needs to be had, which is often after marriage. With body clocks continuously ticking, having children is a time-sensitive task, thus, one that if regularly avoided or set aside will slowly drive a wedge between a couple and likely lead to divorce.
All relationships have their share of issues and some are worth fighting for; getting stronger when overcoming difficult times. Other relationships are set to fail, and those outlined above, are facing situations to difficult to overcome. If this is your situation, and you’ve decided it's time for a divorce, family law attorneys are available to stand by your side and guide you toward a better future.