No one ever said that marriage would be easy, and if you have an honest talk to most spouses who have endured for years, they'll tell you just how many challenges they've had to overcome. However, there are some challenges that spouses shouldn't feel obligated to "solve" or "work through." The following two reasons are sufficient enough to simply end your marriage now:
Abuse
Whether it's physical, emotional, psychological or sexual, regular abuse is a reality for some spouses. The tricky thing about abuse is the fact that the abused spouse and the abuser probably love one another a great deal – or at least parts of one another – and it can be difficult to make the rational decision to exit the situation.
If you're being abused in your relationship, seek support and assistance. Tell family and friends about your experience and visit a therapist. These individuals will support you to gather the strength required to protect yourself from further harm and to liberate yourself from your abusive partner.
Addiction
Living with an addict will cast a thick cloud of sadness over anyone's life. If your spouse has an alcohol or drug problem, you may feel strangely responsible for this person for any number of reasons. Perhaps you feel that your love should be enough to help him or her overcome the challenges of addiction. Perhaps you feel that you caused the addiction and you help solve it. Or, maybe you simply love your spouse so much and you can't bear the idea of leaving him or her behind.
The problem is that no one with an addiction problem is going to change until he or she truly wants to. If you're married to an addict who refuses to change, you may want to make the changes necessary to live a happy that is free of this person.
Even in the above two situations of abuse and drug addiction – where divorce is the logical and rational choice – the decision to end your marriage will be hard. Therefore, make sure you have the right kind of support by speaking with close friends, your therapist and a qualified family law attorney about your situation.