Violence & When to Walk Away
This section is serious. If any of this feels familiar, please know that help is available and you are not alone.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911. National DV Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | Text START to 88788
10 Warning Signs of Violence
These behaviors are never acceptable. Not once. Not “just that one time.” Not because they were stressed.
Intimidation
Using looks, actions, or gestures to create fear. Smashing things, displaying weapons, standing over you.
Threats
Threatening to hurt you, leave you, report you, take the children, or commit suicide to control your behavior.
Escalating Arguments
Arguments that become more frequent and more intense over time. What starts as yelling may progress to pushing, grabbing, or hitting.
Physical Restraint
Blocking doorways, grabbing your arms, pinning you down, or preventing you from leaving a room.
Choking or Strangulation
This is one of the strongest predictors of future lethal violence. If a partner has ever put their hands on your throat, your life is in danger.
Destruction of Property
Punching walls, breaking your belongings, throwing things. Even if they don't hit you — this is violence.
Harming Pets
Hurting or threatening your animals as a means of control and intimidation.
Sexual Violence
Forced or coerced sexual activity. Marital rape exists. Consent is required in every relationship.
Monitoring & Stalking
Tracking your location, showing up unannounced, monitoring your calls and messages. This behavior escalates.
Weapon Threats
Owning, displaying, or threatening with weapons during conflict. This is an emergency.
Professions Associated with DV Offenders
Domestic violence occurs across all socioeconomic levels. However, research identifies certain professions with higher reported rates. This doesn't mean everyone in these fields is an abuser — but awareness matters.
Is It Time to Walk Away?
10 questions. Be honest with yourself. Check the ones that apply.
Survivor Stories
"It all changed on our wedding night. The mask came off, and the person I married disappeared. I spent years trying to find them again — but they never existed."
"I thought love was supposed to be hard. My mother stayed, her mother stayed. It took my daughter asking me 'Why does Daddy scream at you?' to realize I was teaching her that this was normal."
"He never hit me, so I told myself it wasn't abuse. But the words — the constant criticism, the belittling, the silent treatment — destroyed me from the inside out."
“You are not asking for too much. You are asking the wrong person.”
“Leaving feels like hell. But staying just gets worse.”