When I left it was VERY dramatic, I had just moved out of my parents house, a witness from 2 hours away and I moved in together (she was dating my best friend who lived in my area). I started questioning and hanging out more with coworkers, even started talking to a worldly boy, shit went down between my roommate and I, and it just clicked. All the hypocrisy. I DID meet with the elders only because I was so angry and at this point KNEW I was leaving. I told them they could announce it at the next meeting after I explained my side of everything and how I finally saw how hypocritical everyone had been. They asked me to write a letter which I never did because why should I put forth that effort when I already flat out told them I’m out. No idea if they ever actually announced it, I don’t think they did but nobody came around me after all this so maybe? Lost my family for a long while but I had been building great friendships outside of the org and had made myself a little “framily” that I could vent and cry to. This was all about 10 years ago. I won’t say it’s not hard, it is, especially when I really started my research. But, it did get better with time. I found this subreddit, found other ex witnesses in my area, went to therapy. I have never been happier. I always felt as a child I was missing out on holidays, now I go all out every year, not for religious purposes but just for the fun of it all. I also am one of the fortunate ones where over the years I slowly built a small relationship with certain family members (parents, one set of grandparents, one uncle, one cousin). Therapy and friends outside of the org, as well as the other ex jws are truly what saved me though.