Relationships

Support for building healthy relationships and recognising abuse, reminding you that love shouldn’t hurt.

  • You feel physically and emotionally secure

  • Your boundaries, feelings, and body are honoured

  • You believe what they say and be honest

  • Decisions are shared, not controlled

  • Your recovery is encouraged, not undermined

What Healthy Love Looks Like:

Red Flags and Warning Signs

  • You are afraid to say no to them

  • They control your money, phone, friendships, or movements

  • They pressure you into sex or sexual acts without your consent

  • They blame you for their behaviour

  • They use threat, violence, or humiliation to belittle you

  • They push you towards alcohol or drugs

  • They minimise or deny hurting you

If You’ve Experienced Domestic Abuse or Sexual Violence

Scottish Women’s Aid – Local and national domestic abuse services
🔗
https://womensaid.scot/

Rape Crisis Scotland – Confidential support for anyone affected by sexual violence
📞 08088 01 03 02
🔗
rapecrisisscotland.org.uk

Victim Support Scotland – Help after crime, including abuse and assault
🔗
https://victimsupport.scot/

Scotland’s Domestic Abuse & Forced Marriage Helpline – 24/7 support
📞 0800 027 1234
🔗
sdafmh.org.uk

Types of Domestic Abuse:

    • Hitting, slapping, kicking, strangling, or using object as weapons

    • Blocking your exit, destroying possessions, or threatening to harm you

    • Name-calling, insults, humiliation, or constant criticism

    • Gaslighting- making you doubt your memory or reality

    • Threatening to harm themselves or others if you leave

    • Pressuring, coercing, or forcing sexual activity without consent

    • Withholding affection or intimacy as punishment

    • Using sex to assert control or dominance

    • Taking control of your income/benefits

    • Preventing you from working or forcing you to hand over your earnings

    • Creating debts in your name

    • A pattern of controlling behaviours that isolate you from family/friends

    • Monitoring your movements, calls, or messages

    • Making all decisions for you, including your body and recovery

    • Tracking your phone location or online activity

    • Sending abusive messages, threats, or posting harmful content online

    • Using social media to harass or intimidate

The Impact of Abuse and Trauma in Recovery

Experiences of abuse or sexual violence can:

  • Make trust feel dangerous

  • Trigger shame or self-blame

  • Affect your ability to set or hold boundaries

  • Cause flashbacks or anxiety in intimacy

  • Lead to repeating harmful patterns

Explore the Recovery Toolkit