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Chris_B PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: 3 important tips to get the most out of this section
  • replies: 0

Hi everyone, The Relationships & Family Issues section is one of the busiest here on our forums. It's also one of the areas where we find members can get themselves into trouble! Before posting here, take a deep breath and be mindful of the following... View more

Hi everyone, The Relationships & Family Issues section is one of the busiest here on our forums. It's also one of the areas where we find members can get themselves into trouble! Before posting here, take a deep breath and be mindful of the following 3 tips: 1. Do you really want to share this with the world? This is a public forum. Are you thinking of posting something that could identify you to a friend or family member? Once you've posted, you can't delete what you've written and we don't take posts down from here unless they've broken one of our community rules. This is because our members spend a lot of time composing replies, and there is a much wider audience that gets a lot out of reading what has been written. It's not fair to ask the community for support, then ask to have it removed once you've read it so others can't also benefit. Use discretion when posting here - think about the level of detail you are sharing, and think also about who might know you are posting here. Also, please keep it clean: this is an all ages forum and explicit discussions about sexual problems are not permitted. Threads and posts of this nature will be removed and your account placed on a moderation hold. 2. What do you want to get out of posting here? Relationship and family issues are stressful. Members sometimes post here seeking advice about a relationship that has broken down, but find themselves getting upset when they don't agree with the response they get. This is a peer support forum, meaning we are not mental health professionals. We are people of all ages and backgrounds, with a wide range of life experiences. While we aim for our discussions to be conducted respectfully, people here will respond with the truth as they see it, from their own experiences and perspectives. We are not here to take sides. Offence is almost never intentional, but it can be sometimes taken. The advice you will see here is not intended to be a substitute for professional counselling. 3. What other support do you have? Most people posting on our forums (about any issue) use this space as a supplement to other supports. This forum is not and cannot be a substitute for offline supports, but it is often a good place to start the ball rolling and find the courage for seeking help. If you are relying solely on an internet forum to resolve your relationship or family issues, you are likely to be disappointed. Check out the Healthy Homes section of our Healthy Families website for further information and resources.

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4Cats So now I'm just totally selfish
  • replies: 6

I've been on depression meds for years. On top of that I'm an alcoholic. I'm trying to quit but it's a rocky road. I have just about lost all my friends and half the family hate me. Our mum passed away last year and there were issues. I tried to be t... View more

I've been on depression meds for years. On top of that I'm an alcoholic. I'm trying to quit but it's a rocky road. I have just about lost all my friends and half the family hate me. Our mum passed away last year and there were issues. I tried to be there for mum as much as possible. The only person who has stuck with me is my husband but tonight I have basically been told to be greatful for what I've got. See, I thought people would support you when you're struggling but everyone has run away. I blame myself and know I'm a selfish person. I hate me. So when my husband asks what's wrong and I tell him it's not nice when you know everyone dislikes you, I don't appreciate being told "You have more than some other people". So now you can add ungrateful to the rest of my millions of faults. How does anyone survive life knowing you're just a horrible human being? (Apart from drinking that is).

Rose52 Alienated
  • replies: 7

My daughter joined a local church about five years ago which she loves. She is getting married in one week and has not included me in anything such as shopping for her dress, shoes, flowers etc. She rarely contacts me and I miss the close relationshi... View more

My daughter joined a local church about five years ago which she loves. She is getting married in one week and has not included me in anything such as shopping for her dress, shoes, flowers etc. She rarely contacts me and I miss the close relationship her and I once had. She seems to have distanced herself from her father and her brothers also. If I mention the church to anyone I get told that it’s a cult and they have taken over my daughters life. Any advice would be appreciated

KKing Can't shake someone I've never met!
  • replies: 8

I'll try and keep this short. I am very happily married etc, I love my wife to pieces. Just over a year ago I came across a plus size model on line and well pretty much fell in love with her. She lives in NY and well if you knew me, you'd realise thi... View more

I'll try and keep this short. I am very happily married etc, I love my wife to pieces. Just over a year ago I came across a plus size model on line and well pretty much fell in love with her. She lives in NY and well if you knew me, you'd realise this is so unlike me it's not funny. She has about 200,000 followers and men pay to see her post erotic videos of herself. I've tried to shake thinking about this woman but whenever I do think about her I feel jealous of men with her and it feels like she should be with me. I've done on line counselling and nothing has helped. I've tried to stop looking her up on line and gone several weeks but I can't stop thinking about her, even a year on! It's making me incredibly down and no one else on line makes me feel like this..........I have so many questions of why and I would never 'pay' to see her erotic content etc She travels a lot, her erotic videos etc pay for her travels and she makes a fortune from men, sometimes $16k a month! So she has no shortage of admirers but I can't shake her......... She says she's travelling to Aus this year and I am fighting with myself not to see her.....she doesn't know I exist, we've exchanged messages but nothing erotic I came very close to quitting my job and Aus and breaking my wife's heart and traveling to NY to see her.......even just for coffee and having some dumb idea she'd fall for me........ God this really does my head in !!! I need to know how to eliminate her from my head, it feels like I'm looking up an ex

mkgd_84 insecure and hurt after my partner has lied AGAIN
  • replies: 3

I have no one to speak to so hopefully can get support here while I wait for my therapist to get back from leave. Long story short - I have been with my partner for 2.5 years and throughout the whole relationship he has lied to me about dating other ... View more

I have no one to speak to so hopefully can get support here while I wait for my therapist to get back from leave. Long story short - I have been with my partner for 2.5 years and throughout the whole relationship he has lied to me about dating other women and chasing women on dating sites while being in the relationship. And although i know of one women he has had sex with while we have been together i have the biggest gut feeling he has slept with many others. Most recently I found out that he signed up for a casual sex dating site about 2 weeks ago. I confronted him and he flat out lied to my face saying he never signed on (even after showing him the profile with his face and display pics, two of which he had me cropped out of). And after he begged me to stay with him on the promise that he would organise couples counselling for us, I have now discovered that just last weekend he signed up for Zoosk dating site. Again I confronted him and he simply said "i don't have an account". I feel so wrecked and damaged emotionally. I have given this relationship 200% supporting him while he went off to study at the police academy for 8 months. I paid for his laptop, fed him when he was back from the academy, treated is son like my own. And still that wasn't good enough. I just feel so used and it is not a good feeling. Even now he says so convincingly "I love you so much. You are all I want" and it's as if he is not seeing the damage he is doing to me and it is also now affecting my son. I just needed to vent right now. Feeling so alone.

Guest_039 My wife is a perfectionist and is never happy with me
  • replies: 11

I dont know what to do. My wife and I have been together for 11 years and have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. My wife picks on me about everything almost every single day. She is always unhappy, very short tempered. She always finds a reason to argue... View more

I dont know what to do. My wife and I have been together for 11 years and have a 3 year old and a 1 year old. My wife picks on me about everything almost every single day. She is always unhappy, very short tempered. She always finds a reason to argue. All I want to do is enjoy life work together and have a happy family. I don't want my kids to grow up around her screaming at me. She says I dismiss her for everything and I never listen to her. I know I am not the best listener but I always try my best. I feel like she isn't happy with herself and that she takes it out on me and the kids. She says I dont show her I care about her which I do. She is always bringing up arguments from the past like from 5+ years ago over small things.. She doesnt like to move on from an argument she wants to deal with the argument before moving on or she holds a grudge for good. How can I fix my listening skills? The list goes on... Any advice appreciated.

Jessbot When to tell
  • replies: 7

Hi, I’ve been with my husband 20 years and married 14! I have decided to leave him Ive been unhappy for the last couple of years but he has no idea! He is FIFO and has just been made redundant, coming home next week! We have a 3 night interstate trip... View more

Hi, I’ve been with my husband 20 years and married 14! I have decided to leave him Ive been unhappy for the last couple of years but he has no idea! He is FIFO and has just been made redundant, coming home next week! We have a 3 night interstate trip booked for end of July. So my question is do I tell him before we go or when we get back?

BJ5 Newly diagnosed Bipolar husband with a toxic "friendship" Help!!
  • replies: 2

Hi all, My husband is currently in hospital and has just been diagnosed with bipolar after the last few years of "strange" behaviour and now depression stage. In this time after a hurtful situation directed at me I myself shutdown (didn't know he had... View more

Hi all, My husband is currently in hospital and has just been diagnosed with bipolar after the last few years of "strange" behaviour and now depression stage. In this time after a hurtful situation directed at me I myself shutdown (didn't know he had bipolar at the time) to heal and focus on myself and our family and developing trust again. In this time he started a friendship with another lady and soon turned into something more. This other lady is dealing with her own marriage breakdown due to a partner with mental illness and was confiding in my husband. While she is not a friend of mine she has admitted to me that she is in love with my husband. My husband is now confused as he says he still loves me but is not in love with me and he doesn't want to hurt me anymore ,We Have been together almost 20 years (married young). I know this is a feeling many bipolar sufferers feel. He also says he is not giving up this friendship with this person and gets very defensive even when I bring up compromises of public catch ups and not behind close doors to still respect our marriage and our relationship. What do I do? I am doing everything I can to help his new diagnoses with research, professional help etc etc but I cant seem to move on from this as I see this is hindering his recovery and he feels like a hero I guess to her. Will he see the grass isn't greener? I love him so very much.

bibibsi Boyfriend with anxiety is pushing me awah
  • replies: 1

My boyfriend and i have been dating for about 10 months now, and up until this point our relationship has been fantastic. He was incredibly caring and loving and always made me feel special and loved. He has struggled with negative thoughts about him... View more

My boyfriend and i have been dating for about 10 months now, and up until this point our relationship has been fantastic. He was incredibly caring and loving and always made me feel special and loved. He has struggled with negative thoughts about himself and his life for a little period, I have been there for him during episodes where he has broken down and comforted him, along with advising him to see a therapist. However lately he is being incredibly distant. He spends all his time with his friends and doesn’t make much effort at all to contact me and spend time with me like he once did. When i speak to him he is incredibly negative and condisending. I have told him a few times now that if he needs someone to speak to i am here. However his friends have told me he has anxiety, and he will speak about his issues with them but not me. His doctor has advised him to see a therapist lately, i encouraged him to see one as well however he is not interested. I feel like i’m pushing incredibly hard to be positive and make our relationship work but he is not giving me anything in return. I want to help him get better to be the happy person I first met but I don’t know how.

choleeey Boyfriend on a 'boys trip'. Trust & separation issues - can't cope.
  • replies: 4

Hi all, My boyfriend (20 years old) left for a 'boys trip' four days ago where they are going overseas for two and a half weeks. My previous partner cheated on me and since then I have had huge trust issues which have carried on to my current relatio... View more

Hi all, My boyfriend (20 years old) left for a 'boys trip' four days ago where they are going overseas for two and a half weeks. My previous partner cheated on me and since then I have had huge trust issues which have carried on to my current relationship. He has so far given me no reason to not trust him, apart from a few small lies and a big lie about a girl in the past (before our relationship) - which he lied directly to my face. He often hides little things from me such as a girl giving him a lift home because he knows I get upset about it. The other boys going on the trip are all single and are all about girls and will try to get with as many girls as they can. My boyfriend is the only one in a relationship and the other boys have either never been in one or previously cheated. They will be drinking majority of the time and are going to a number of beach parties and staying in hostels. This makes me extremely uncomfortable because of my trust issues and my anxiety. I am very nervous that he will feel left out or be pressured into cheating, or simply get too drunk and give into temptation. We have not spent a single night apart in almost 8 months (since we got together) and I think I have become quite attached to him and am struggling to cope with him not being here. I constantly feel sick, and do not have much contact with him while he is there. I am constantly checking whether he is active on social media and it is extremely unhealthy. I do not know how to deal with this, as when I bring up my concerns he gets angry that I do not trust him and he simply says I need to stop bringing it up because it pushes him away. I read into everything too much and I don't know how to stop. I just want him to be here with me and feel so lonely and hopeless without him. We have talked about a long-term relationship and both want one, however I am scared this trip will end it one way or another. I really need advice - I have been crying since he left and have barely slept as I am so anxious he is cheating or lying to me or will realise he wants to be single after seeing all of his friends have so much fun. I want this relationship to last and think it has the potential - I just need to get through this next two and a half weeks somehow. Thanks.

Mary_Ploppins Over and over again
  • replies: 6

Hi, just need to air some things as i have no one to talk to at the moment.Im trying to get my husband to move out im just sick and tired of the lies, we have been together almost 30 years.I have made him have a seperate bedroom for the past 6 years ... View more

Hi, just need to air some things as i have no one to talk to at the moment.Im trying to get my husband to move out im just sick and tired of the lies, we have been together almost 30 years.I have made him have a seperate bedroom for the past 6 years or so because he thought it was ok to wake me up for sex through the night, i have two children unplanned from that. Ive told him many times over the past two years things have to change or he is out.I have quit smoking over two years ago and he has made no effort.Im trying to get credit cards paid off but his pay keeps dropping now down to $300 a week but he is doing the same shifts as what he was doing before and was bringing home around $550. ive called him out on the BS but he says he has pay cuts. Last week i found phone credits for $80 and pawn brokers purchase for $130 which is odd as he doesnt use a phone at home its always hidden in the bedroom. he wants me to pay the bills and expects me to act like his wife but is doing all this crap. A few months ago i found a whole pile of dating and cheating website emails on his ipad. Of course he denies it all and expects me to act like normal.I have really come to the point im losing it. I dont want him here at all and want him out, im sick of the lies.I want a husband not this stupid rot i have now. The problem is i really don't know how to get him out , we are renting and live two doors away from school due to me not being able to drive much due to back problems i really dont want to move, plus i only get a disability pension so moving would be exta hard financially. Oh how i wish i could wave a majick wand and have all my problems solved. Im planning on telling him he has till the end of July to get out , as he will get his tax back so can pay for bond etc. If not im going to try to find a house for myself and the kids. I just feel so alone now as i have no one to talk to at all. I do see a Psychiatrist but im not really happy with her ive been seeing her for the past year or so but it is mostly my OCD she is concerned with.