Wow, Lindsay, I’m sorry to hear that’s happened to you before! I suppose I’ve been very fortunate; a number of my closest friends are married/engaged/parents, and thankfully the changes in their status along the years have not made our friendships fizzle. It sounds like you’re happier though without those former friends in your life, so I’m glad to hear that, at least. :)

I wanted to write this from the perspective of a recovering doormat, who’s also studied abuse in the ivory tower. With all the focus on abusive intimate relationships, I think it’s hard for a lot of people to realize that friends can be abusive too, and yet once you start to realize that a given friend fits that profile, it can be hard to know how to extricate yourself without subjecting yourself to yet MORE mistreatment. So I wanted to validate and empower people who are being habitually mistreated by a so-called friend — showing them how they can take some healthy steps away.

Your story sounds very interesting and important, though, and I’m sure it would help many others to hear it. If you ever decide to share it someday, please feel free to leave a link here! :)