Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I'd say going pretty far downwards is. If you're just a fair-weather friend, don't marry. But you don't have to drown. Take the last lifeboat.
+1
Anonymous wrote:Addiction, adultery, abuse. Those are the points at which you're allowed to bail. I'd say that with addiction, you should at least try to work with your spouse to get through it. It is normal to fail multiple times. Usually the divorce in cases of addiction is due to lying or reckless acts while under the influence (DUI, leaving kids somewhere, spending money to feed addiction, etc.)
Mental illness? Sickness? Cancer? An accident which affects their mobility and day-to-day life? You damn well better stick with them through it.
In my own family, my FIL developed a mental illness out-of-the-blue in his 50s. MIL tried for years to get him help, but he refused. The mentally ill often don't realize they have a problem. My MIL eventually left him once FIL started getting violent and was arrested twice in domestic disputes. There was nothing more that MIL could do, aside from protecting herself and establishing separate finances. FIL died within two years of the divorce due to other compounding health issues.
Anonymous wrote:I'd say going pretty far downwards is. If you're just a fair-weather friend, don't marry. But you don't have to drown. Take the last lifeboat.