Have you been in a long relationship BUT didn't last?

I was in a relationship for 13 years. When he is sober he is the best, most caring person in the world. Has a smile and a helping hand for anyone. As the years went by his drinking got steadily worse. He is slowly drinking himself to death and I couldn't watch it anymore. I told him to choose. He could keep drinking and I would leave, or he could stop and we would stay together. He chose drinking and I have been gone for 5 years.
I still think he is a great guy when he is sober, but unfortunately he is very, very rarely sober.
I miss him, but am much happier not living with a drunk.

Yup, I was with a guy for 5 years, and he was awful. I was still young and thought that I could "change" him, or make him a better man. What a joke!!! Here is just a list of the stuff that he did, that I embarrassingly enough, didn't walk away from:

-Cheated on me with a woman old enough to be my mother
-Broke up with me before every holiday or birthday (too cheap to buy gifts)
-Got a woman pregnant 3 weeks after we split up the first time (I left him for a year, didn't find out till a year later)
-Lost numerous jobs, got evicted from numerous apartments (while I was away in college)
-Continued to cheat with his son's mom (that was the final straw for me)

When he got caught, he told her that he would never be in a relationship with someone who looked like me. LoL, what an a**hole!! She got in a relationship with him after I left, and basically stalked me for months afterwards because she thought I would take him back. I had messages like "everytime I am with him, I will try and get pregnant, because I know he is meant to be with me and not you". She even went as far as to call me up and say she was pregnant again...and then he called me up a few days later to make sure I knew she was lying. What they didn't understand is that I didn't care, at all! I was done, and gave them my blessing to be together. I figured they were a good match haha.

Anyhow, finding out about her was the best thing that ever happened. I don't know if I just matured, or finally had enough, but I walked away and never looked back. I never let a man treat me like that again. I focused on myself and having fun with my girlfriends, and lost about 70 pounds. I ran in to him when I was out partying one night, and he BEGGED for a second chance (who are we kidding, that would be been probably his 5th chance lol). As rude as this sounds, my exact reaction was "LoL (giggle), you are such an a**hole", and I walked away. I thought about it the next day and realized that I wanted to take the higher road, so I sent him a short and sweet email. It said " I hope you and ***** are doing well, I think ya'll were much better suited for each other than we were." He responded again asking for another chance, and at that point I blocked his email. Ive never talked to him since, and that was about 3 years ago.

Now I am with a WONDERFUL man, and we are expecting our first daughter. I couldn't be happier!

Yep for 14 years

5 years with my hs/college bf. In high school, he up and left on a foreign exchange program without telling me. I (for whatever reason) took him back, and we dated until halfway through my 1st year of college. We never lived together- and in fact for 1.5 years of the relationship, we never saw each other. It ended when I noticed his aggressive personality getting worse, and he started to creep me out. Turns out, less than one month after I dumped him, he tried to get my friend drunk and sleep with her. What a scumbag. Good riddance.

I was with my HS sweetheart for 5 years (engaged for 3). Once I turned 21 we just kind of drifted apart. I liked going out and he'd rather stay in. He was also really into poker and video games, which I hated. I was actually the one who ended up cheating. I felt bored and I just wasn't in love with him anymore.

I just got married to my husband last July on our 4 year anniversary. I couldn't imagine being happier. The one thing about our relationship that makes me certain that he's the one for me is that I've NEVER thought about another guy. When I was with my ex I always had small crushes on other guys and wondered what life would be like if I were with them instead.

my last relationship was 6.5 years. she practically begged me to propose to her, and I did on our last anniversary. she was still showing people the ring and saying how excited she was this past holiday season. she left a few days after new years this year out of the blue. no one saw it coming.

I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

Was with my x for 10 years, married for 3. We just weren't right for one another. I was too controlling and he couldn't speak up for himself.

No kids, no house -thankfully. Though he did suggest that I get pregnant in my second year of university (that went over like a lead balloon) After 10 years and a wedding he told me he "never loved me" - took me about 6 years to be comfortable with myself again. I don't wish him ill, we just weren't right for each other.

Bump to all of this!

Uhm, because there's no reason you should have to go chasing a grown man to take care of himself.
Telling him to shower.. Go shave, comb his hair.. Throw out smelly shoes and get new ones OR AT LEAST WASH THEM IF YOU WON'T.

Just no.

No smelly people, please.

I was (note: WAS) married for 20 years. I have three great kids from it and a lot of emotional scars. I'd do it again because of my kids.

I learned that both people have to put at least 50% into the marriage, if one partner becomes emotionally unhealthy he/she needs to get psychological help, it's not fair to dump it on the other partner, and, most of all, I learned that I can walk through the fire and come out the other side, well, not stronger exactly, but cognizant of the weak areas and willing to work on them. :happy: