@wallsofjericho-
I saw the thread title and had to comment on it because - due to my name - I thought it would be funny. ;)
My story? I don't want to hijack the thread, but let's see... I've lurked here for probably 10+ years. Raised a Witness, didn't get baptized until I was an adult (left and got married / had children... I guess I felt I needed "religion").
Wife and I got baptized together. Always kind of had some doubts, and as the years wore on and I saw just how provisional JW's friendships are with you (if you're not making the hours and "reaching out", you're not good enough), saw how my kids were suffering for it (crying they didn't have friends, and no JW parents were making an effort to have their kids with ours, meanwhile they weren't hanging out with "worldly" kids), the hypocricy and BS...
Ultimately, wife and I have Faded. Been 3+ years, and this forum has really helped me with struggling with the guilt, the fear of Armageddon, and seeing through the BS the WT puts out to keep the rank-and-file in line. My mom is very zealous and in, she tries to guilt me into coming back but I'm not having any of it. I spent enough of my life being afraid to die at Armageddon and now I'm like "Hey, if it happens it happens...". I've been working on reconstructing my spiritual relationship, reading a different translation of the Bible front-to-back (it is taking a while lol), and re-thinking a lot of what I took for gospel growing up. My kids are happier now, having a more normal social life, and though I struggle at times, I'd never go back.
The saddest thing is that I'm waiting for my mom to pass away to disassociate myself. That emotional blackmail the Society holds over you and your family with shunning is ridiculous and sad. But it's the last vestiage of "power" held over me... but one way or the other, it won't last forever.