Thanks again to all for the input. There are some disclosures here that must have taken some greatness of character to share, and to these contributors I offer thanks for for their strength and honesty and generosity.

Joe, thanks for your remarks, but on this occasion the thread very quickly assumed a life of its own almost in spite of my intentions. It concerns me that some of this content here has been rather "heavy" (no pun intended) and to counteract any dampening effect this may have on members, I am planning a new thread which I intend to be uplifting. Should be able to launch it in a few days' time.

Many wise and true words have been contributed to this thread. I hope all those who reported abuse and rudeness no longer suffer it. There is an old saying that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, so let's hope we have all gained strength from these trials. What I have found is that people who have suffered a bit in life are far more genuine, positive and generous people, and these qualities are exactly those displayed every day on this web-site by our members.

Andy