'Am I Being Abused?'

• Embarrass or make fun of you in front of friends or family? Put down your accomplishments or goals?
• Make you feel like you are unable to make decisions? Use intimidation or threats to gain compliance?
• Tell you that you are nothing without them?
• Treat you roughly — grab, push, pinch, shove or hit you? Threaten or abuse your pets?
• Call you several times a night or show up to make sure you are where you said you would be?
• Use drugs or alcohol as an excuse for saying hurtful things or abusing you?
• Blame you for how they feel or act?
• Pressure you sexually for things you aren’t ready for?
• Make you feel like there “is no way out” of the relationship?
• Prevent you from doing things you want, like spending time with your friends or family?
• Try to keep you from leaving after a fight, or leave you somewhere after a fight to “teach you a lesson?”

• Sometimes feel scared of how your partner will act?
• Constantly make excuses to other people for your partner’s behavior?
• Believe that you can help your partner change if only you changed something about yourself?
• Try not to do anything that would cause conflict or make your partner angry?
• Feel like no matter what you do, your partner is never happy with you?
• Always do what your partner wants you to do instead of what you want?
• Stay with your partner because you are afraid of what your partner would do if you broke up?

 If you checked any of the boxes on this checklist, you may be experiencing abuse.
                                    (checklist provided by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence) 

There are often many warning signs or red flags that can be identified in relationships that indicate when someone is being abused. 

• Extreme jealousy
• Possessiveness
• Unpredictability
• A bad temper
• Cruelty to animals
• Verbal abuse
• Extremely controlling behavior
• Antiquated beliefs about roles of women and men in relationships
• Forced sex or disregard of their partner’s unwillingness to have sex
• Sabotage of birth control methods or refusal to honor agreed upon methods
• Blaming the victim for anything bad that happens
• Sabotage or obstruction of the victim’s ability to work or attend school
• Controls all the finances
• Abuse of other family members, children or pets
• Accusations of the victim flirting with others or having an affair
• Control of what the victim wears and how they act
• Demeaning the victim either privately or publicly
• Embarrassment or humiliation of the victim in front of others
• Harassment of the victim at work

                                   (red flags provided by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence)