I have been with my girlfriend for 3.5 years and I have questioned if she was right for me for a long time. She considers me her soul mate, wants to get married and have children down the road, and be with me for the rest of our lives. I obviously do not reciprocate those feelings at this time. I will forgo listing the reasons that I need to end the relationship as it would be unnecessary; I need to stop dragging this relationship out so I can move on with my life and spare her some pain.
 
  I feel like she is pretty poorly equipped to deal with the break up. She considers me her best friend as well as her soul mate. She has at most half a dozen friends that she sees in person infrequently. Of those, she is close to maybe one or two of them. She mainly socializes with her 3 much younger nieces--one just turned 17, one is almost 17, and the other is almost 15. She has low self-esteem and depression. She is pretty busy with school and she works out a few hours a week, but she doesn't really have any other hobbies or outlets. I know that all of this may seem very harsh, but it is true; I have observed these things and she has complained about these issues herself.
 
  If I break up with her, I will have to sever all contact completely, otherwise I will cave in and go to her for sexual release. She has stated a number of times that she would be completely devastated if I left her. What would happen if I suddenly broke up with her and severed all contact? I am afraid that she might do poorly in school, turn to drugs or alcohol (she has abused substances in the past), or physically harm herself.
user
I need advice on breaking up with girlfriend of 3.5 years. I am afraid that she might do poorly in school, turn to drugs or alcohol, or physically harm herself if I abruptly ended
assistant
I have been with my girlfriend for 3.5 years and I have questioned if she was right for me for a long time. She considers me her soul mate, wants to get married and have children down the road, and be with me for the rest of our lives. I obviously do not reciprocate those feelings at this time. I will forgo listing the reasons that I need to end the relationship as it would be unnecessary; I need to stop dragging this relationship out so I can move on with my life and spare her some pain.
 
  I feel like she is pretty poorly equipped to deal with the break up. She considers me her best friend as well as her soul mate. She has at most half a dozen friends that she sees in person infrequently. Of those, she is close to maybe one or two of them. She mainly socializes with her 3 much younger nieces--one just turned 17, one is almost 17, and the other is almost 15. She has low self-esteem and depression. She is pretty busy with school and she works out a few hours a week, but she doesn't really have any other hobbies or outlets. I know that all of this may seem very harsh, but it is true; I have observed these things and she has complained about these issues herself.
 
  If I break up with her, I will have to sever all contact completely, otherwise I will cave in and go to her for sexual release. She has stated a number of times that she would be completely devastated if I left her. What would happen if I suddenly broke up with her and severed all contact? I am afraid that she might do poorly in school, turn to drugs or alcohol (she has abused substances in the past), or physically harm herself.
user
Need advice on breaking up with girlfriend of 3.5 years that I have doubts about because of her low self-esteem, low social life, and lack of hobbies/ outlets.
assistant