There are many different meanings to “home.”
Indeed, the place we consider “home” might change from where we were raised and where we grew up to where we currently live and put down roots.
Ultimately, though, the universal idea of home is somewhere we feel safe, protected, and loved.
If we don’t feel any of those things, it’s hard to consider such a place to be actually “home.”
Redditor Tasty_Dog6028 was still living with her parents in her family home.
While the original poster (OP)’s parents did love and support her, they were also concerned about her future.
Eventually leading to the OP’s mother taking drastic measures, which in turn led the OP to “run away” from home.
Having doubts as to whether or not she did the right thing, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where she asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA running away from home and not responding to my mum after she threw out my prescription?”
The OP explained why she felt she had no other choice but to “run away” from home:
“I am a 24 F[emale] that was currently living at home with both of my parents.”
“I suffer from depression and anxiety and don’t really have a good social life as I am scared to leave the house ( I have a lot of trauma).”
“I hold down an online marketing job, and I provide money for bills and food.”
“Over the past few months, my parents have been becoming progressively more worried about me.”
“Saying things like ‘if you don’t get over this, you won’t have a good life, you won’t have family’ and ‘you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone’.”
“However, in the last few weeks, after my mum talked to her opinionated friends, they believe that my medication is ‘numbing me,’ and it is the reason for all this.”
“She had been trying to get me to stop for the last 2 weeks before this happened.”
“Two days ago, I got home after seeing my only bestie, and was getting ready for bed, and couldn’t find my medication.”
“I asked mum is she had seen it around and she stated that ‘it wasn’t good for me and I threw it out’.”
“I immediately started panicking, rummaged through the garbage, but it was nowhere.”
“When my parents went to bed, I got a backpack of my things called my bestie, and for now, with her permission, I am living there.”
“My parents have been spam ringing me for the last 2 days, but I want nothing to do with them.”
“They pushed their values onto me and now I have to go to the doctor again to get the medicine I need to function, due to this I am behind work and am filled with anxiety.”
“Am I the a**hole for not responding?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation, by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community overwhelmingly agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for leaving home and cutting their mother off.
Everyone agreed that the OP was not running away from home, but rather leaving a dangerous and unhealthy situation, something both her parents needed to realize if they wanted her to return home:
“NTA.”
“That was a terrible thing your mom did, and it’s a good sign it’s not safe for you to stay there.”
“Also, you’re a grown-up. it’s not running away as much as it is moving out.”- dryadduinath
“Apart from anything else, anxiety meds are absolutely not supposed to be gone off cold turkey; your mother is very much setting you up for a medical emergency by doing that.”
“NTA.”- Gingereej1t
“Absolutely NTA.”
“Anyone who has ever transitioned from one antidepressant to another knows that going cold turkey can cause a huge amount of debilitating problems.”
“Imagine it wasn’t your mom and someone you didn’t know took your meds?”
“Doesn’t matter what they did with them.”
“That’s called theft.”
“Ultimately, you can decide how far you want to take it, but your parents are not allies.”- Subspace1011
“NTA.”
“If they touch your medication, I lose all sympathy.”
“That’s abuse even if it’s from some ignorant idea that medication is ‘bad’ which has been a myth since I was a kid.”
“You’ve got to get out of there.”
“You already said you pay the bills and food, so I’m sure you could make it work at some cheap little place, or rooming with a friend.”- wasteoftimewarrior
“NTA.”
“You need to protect yourself.”
“If that means cutting ties with them (even temporarily) then that’s what you should do.”
“Good luck, OP.”- SandrineSmiles
“NTA.”
“Your parents did you no favors.”
“Find someplace new to live and don’t return.”- Individual_Ad_9213
“NTA.”
“Turn off tracking on your phone.”
“Report the theft to your doctor and the other proper authorities.”- lavasca
“NTA.”
“Depending on your country, call the non-emergency police hotline or go to a police station (preferably with someone you trust) and inform them that you left of your own free will and are safe, in case they try to declare you a missing person.”- felifornow
“NTA.”
“Never go back.”
“You are an adult, and your choices are yours to make.”
“They can provide input but not make choices for you without your consent.”- Disposable_Eel_6320
“Obviously NTA.”
“Often pharmacists will dispense a small amount of medication for emergencies like this.”
“Please try that to prevent any withdrawal symptoms.”- Milky-Way-Occupant
“Report them.”
“They stole your property, and it may be even more serious because it is a prescription drug.”
“NTA.”- SophiaIsabella4
“NTA.”
“They said themselves that you needed to get out of the house.”- NeitherStory7803
“NTA.”
“I think it will be good for your mental health to gain some distance from your parents, not saying go no contact but maybe get your own place.”- Enough_Basis_8935
“NTA.”
“Your parents/mother are reckless and dangerous for your health.”
“Some antidepressants need to be weaned off slowly, or you risk serious side effects or worsening of your symptoms.”
“I’d message paraphrasing this and then block them.”
“Talk to your doctor and explain the situation, I’m sure they’ll be able to prescribe your medication early.”- HandmaidJam
“NTA.”
“Throwing your meds out is crossing a line, and that really sucks.”
“To try and find something good out of this, it looks like you are stronger than you thought.”
“Leaving like that was the right thing to do; that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard and scary, but you did it anyway!”
“Good job and good luck.”- BlueRayman
“NTA.”
“Also that’s a crime, not to mention a gigantic breach of trust.”- BlackFenrir
“NTA, not in any way.”
“Since patents have rights regarding their underage children and can require them to remain in their home until adulthood, children and teens under age 18 are considered runaways and often can be required to return home.”
“As an adult, your parents have no legal rights regarding any kind of control or power in your life except what you choose to give them (which can also be withdrawn at any time), and you can freely leave whenever and however you choose.”
“You are free.”
“My suggestion is to set it so their calls go directly to voice mail in case they escalate and you need evidence to support something like a restraining order (confirm the size of your voicemail in terms of how many can be saved at one time and move messages to alternative storage as needed) but otherwise there is no need to subject yourself to anything they say or any other demands.”
“Just in this short post, from the events that occurred and how you describe them they make me feel highly on edge and that any time in their presence cannot be guaranteed to be safe.”
“Some bridges need burning down once you get to the other side.”
“Also, I would encourage you to either go to the local police department or call their non emergency line and ask if they take reports for and pursue medication theft within the home (this sounds obvious like they must but the city where I currently live refuses and refused even when a paid in home aide I had due to my disabilities stole all but a few of my prescription pain medication).”
“If they do, lease seriously consider reporting your mom for theft or the destruction of your property or however they will accept a report for it.”
“And please reach out to your medical provider and let them know what happened, insurance may cover an early refill at no extra charge above your standard copay if you have one as long as it’s not a controlled medication, but many/most will require a police report.”
“I am so sorry you have been treated this way for so long and that your very real and legitimate mental health struggles have been minimized and invalidated by those who should be most supportive.”- one_sock_wonder_
As her parents had made their house an unsafe place for the OP to remain, it was clear that she could no longer call it home.
Hopefully, her roommate will create a safe environment she can call home for a short while.
Until she lands on her feet to create a home of her own.