Breaking the Cycle - a CASTLE Success Story

Linda grew up in an abusive environment with an alcoholic father and a very submissive, co-dependent mother. Linda witnessed several episodes of domestic violence during her childhood and headed down a path that promoted this cycle of abuse.

At the age of 17, Linda found herself pregnant and decided to move out of the state with her boyfriend in search of a better way of life. They both dropped out of high school before the completion of the 11th grade.. the sky was the limit, or so she thought. Linda gave birth to twin girls shortly after they relocated. She turned 18 and suddenly had the weight of the world on her shoulders. She was expected to stay at home with her daughters and had no friends or family in the area to turn to. Money was tight and there was very little time for socialization. Her boyfriend was constantly changing jobs and began to find the pressures of being a father and partner to be very harsh. He began to abuse alcohol and thus the cycle of abuse and co-dependency began to repeat itself. He became more and more verbally and physically abusive toward Linda. She lost all of her self confidence and felt like there was nowhere for her to turn. Finally after five years, Linda decided to move home and left her abusive relationship behind.

She returned to Florida and life seemed to be going very well for her. She met a nice young man and after a short period of dating, they got married. The following year Linda had a little boy with her new husband and life seemed to be looking up. Shortly after the birth of their son, the cycle began once again. Her husband began abusing her and eventually her daughters. She came home one night to find marks on one of her daughters' backs and that was the final straw. It was then and there that she decided there had to be a better way of life. She had become tired of the same cycle of abuse and she wanted to raise her children in a safe environment.

The next day she called the CASTLE and asked for help. First, she got an order of protection from her husband and began individual counseling for twelve months. Linda received parenting courses to give her alternative methods to physical punishment. Since then Linda has completed her G.E.D, received her Associate's Degree and is working toward her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work.