Escaping toxic house as a child of immigrant parents

Hey everyone, I’m 23 years old and I grew up in a pretty abusive/toxic Afghan household. My dad was always the problem and he would beat my siblings and my mom and verbally abuse us. Growing up that was the norm for us so we never did anything about it because we didn’t know any better. He was really controlling growing up and strict and still is, always interrogating me and never letting me do normal adult things. My mom despises him and has been sleeping in my room for over a decade on the floor. (She shares my room with me). She won’t divorce because in our culture that’s not seen as an option. I struggle with anxiety, self harm and depression. It feels incredibly difficult to move out even though that’s my dream because I’ll be faced with so many complications. Culturally, I’d have to be married first and find someone they approve of and I don’t wanna do that. I also feel really guilty leaving my mom, I feel like we really only have eachother at home but she can’t leave either due to her job (at home daycare). I’m working on finding a full time/higher paying job but I’m really scared. They’re obviously not going to support me and I’d probably have to break contact for a bit. If anyone can relate or has suggestions let me know:( I’m reaching my breaking point and can’t see myself living at home in the next few years.

Posted Dec 8, 2025, 3:40 AM UTC

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