Everyone has different relationships with alcohol.
Some are able to drink responsibly and enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail every now and then without relying on it.
Others simply don't like the taste, hence their not having a drop of alcohol in their life.
While some find themselves relying on it, eventually leading to their needing help to recover from their addiction.
The sister-in-law of Redditor Thatfallingfan was among those people, resulting in her decision to make her wedding completely free of alcohol.
This decision did not sit well with the original poster (OP)'s older sister, who wasn't afraid to let her displeasure be known at the wedding.
Resulting in the OP needing to intervene.
Wondering if she handled the situation as well as she could have, the OP took to the subReddit "Am I The A**hole" (AITA), where she asked fellow Redditors:
"AITA for yelling at my sister and calling her an alcoholic and embarrassing her at our brothers wedding?"
The OP first shared a bit of insight regarding her sister-in-law's past, as well as her own family dynamic.
"I (23 F[emale]) got the pleasure of going to my brother (32 M[ale]) Ryan's wedding to his beautiful wife (29 F) who we'll call Kinsley last Sunday."
"Just for some backstory Kinsley is an ex-alcoholic (4 years clean!) and has been with my brother for 5 years."
'It was truly an amazing wedding overall, they did it on their 5-year anniversary."
"Was supposed to be earlier but got pushed because of Covid."
"Now some backstory on my side of the family."
"I was an accident."
"My brother and sister were already far older than me when I was born."
"They never were rude to me but I was REALLY young for most of their childhood, so we didn't know each other super well until adulthood."
"My sister (34 F), Haily, has always been a real life of the party."
"But she's super spoiled."
"She's never had any type of trauma or struggle in her life, so she never understood anyone else's."
"When Kinsley went to rehab our family put in a little bit of money in each, and even though Haily didn't get it, she still put in money for her."
But Haily had much more trouble hiding her lack of sympathy for Kinsley's situation on her wedding day, upon discovering there wouldn't be any alcohol.
"At the wedding, as you'd expect, there was NO alcohol, not a single drop."
"Not in anything, most of us understood why, and everything was going just fine."
"Until Haily found out."
"it started with little jokes on the side like 'oh you don't want to party?', Well you at least could let your guests get down a little bit', to her starting to make rude snarky comments."
"It only got too far when she said that Kinsley should just GET OVER IT and have alcohol because 'its been 5 years dear!'"
"She started getting more aggressive about it, saying that she didn't have to drink, and it made no sense to deprive her guests."
"At this point, it looked like Kinsley was on the verge of tears."
"She struggled being an alcoholic for years, it was insanely hard and she still struggles from the effects."
"So I decided to interrupt."
"I told my sister she was being ungrateful for this moment, and maybe she was an alcoholic if she couldn't last five hours without a drink."
"Needless to say, she was unimpressed."
"She got SUPER pissed, she started yelling at me about how 'I ruined her life from the beginning' and how 'your not even our real sister' and how our parents didn't want me."
"Super weird overall, seeing as she'd never brought this up before, and I am her real sister?"
"She got kicked out after that."
"The rest of the wedding was fine, and we all laughed about it in the end."
"As soon as the wedding was over and I went to head home, I had a bunch of messages from my sister saying how I embarrassed her, and how unfair it was, and how Kinsley was just a b*tch who always wants to be the victim."
"Some of my cousins are saying that I shouldn't have said all that, and let my brother deal with it."
"So I have to ask am I the a**hole for calling my sister an alcoholic?"
"Yes, it WAS told there would be NO alcohol."
"It wasn't like some huge bang in your face, but it was told."
"Many people apparently just didn't look at the details about the wedding."
"It was further down in their defense."
"Haily always gave Kinsley sh*t for alcohol, and she was inappropriate for a while."
"I already apologized to Kinsley for not saying anything sooner."
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 agreed that the OP did the right thing by calling her sister out, and was not the a**hole for doing so.
Everyone agreed that Haily needed to hear what the OP needed to say, with many wondering if Haily, herself, might be an alcoholic.
"NTA."
"Good on you for standing up for Kinsley."
"Haily doesn't sound very kind or supportive at all, honestly."
"Everything she's said and done in this story seems really inappropriate and inconsiderate, and extremely unkind."
"I think it shows her true character that she not only made an issue out of nothing about the alcohol but also then proceeded to attack you in a vicious way about your place in the family."
"After all of that, you STILL came on here and said good things about her to stop strangers from being too harsh about her."
"That says a lot about your character."
"For what it's worth, you seem to be a lovely person, and I'd be honored to have a sister, or sister-in-law, like you, and I'm so proud of you for standing up and trying to stop her from ruining things."-Stroopwafeled
"NTA."
"Someone should have put a stop to her behavior immediately.'
"Not just at the wedding but prior remarks made during SILs recovery.'
"Someone needs to talk to your sister about all the comments made to you and SIL, that level of jealousy and resentment is very toxic and for it to be missed is weird."- jaede622
"NTA."
"Good for you for standing up for your SIL!"
"You are awesome!"
"Your sister might actually be an alcoholic."
"Her actions speak volumes."
"You did the right thing."
"Maybe sis needs a little self-reflection."- pfashby
"NTA."
"It sounds like your sister was throwing a selfish tantrum and ruining a special time for Kinsley."
"I think it was courageous for you to stick up for Kinsley, and your sister deserved to be taken to task for her behavior."- thekellysong
"Your sister may not know how to have fun without alcohol."
"She has an identity as the fun one and was likely triggered by seeing how flat things are without the buzz."
"Must have been confronting for her."
"No excuse for bad behavior but more about a wake up call for her and the family."
"She may have been getting comments from others about how she seemed off or different."
"More evidence of her alcoholism."
"It’s also a good lesson in nice vs kind."
"Kind people are the way they are without expectation of how others treat them in response."
"Nice people are only nice when they are perceiving they will get something in return, whether approval, gifts, compliments, etc. you are kind."
"She is nice."- ptprn1
"NTA!"
"I am glad you did the right thing!"
"It was a day for the BRIDE AND GROOM."
"I hope they thanked you for getting rid of the toxic garbage."
"As for your cousin, let’s hope when they grow up and mature more."- Kallista20
"Under no circumstances are you required to have alcohol at a wedding."
"That this the bride and groom's choice."
"Since it is their wedding."
'If you cannot have a good time without alcohol then you might have a problem."
"We associate alcohol and socializing together.'
'It’s normalized when it shouldn’t be."
"NTA."- HausWeiss
"NTA."
"Drink shows peoples' true colours."
"Your sister isn't kind and supportive."
"She acts that way to keep people on her side."- NowWithMoreChocolate
Upon reading some comments from the Reddit community, the OP shared how they planned to have another serious conversation with their sister.
"I'm going to talk to my sister and see if she needs anything, seeing as how many people think she may also be struggling with alcoholism."
Perhaps the most frightening thing about alcoholism is that those who suffer from it might not realize it.
And depend on someone else calling them out, and offering their hand as the first step in helping them.
If Haily is, indeed, an alcoholic, she should consider herself lucky that she has the OP as a sister, who it seems clear will be there for her every step of the way toward recovery.
Woman Asks If It's Wrong To Hold Grudge After Mom Told Her When She 8 Years Old That She Wished She'd Aborted Her
While some people view having and raising children as the greatest blessing, some parents hold their children's existence against them for their entire lives.
And when they feel that way about their children, they're unfortunately typically pretty honest about it, cringed the members of the "Am I Overreacting?" (AIO) subReddit.
Redditor heavelymango knew from the time she was young that her mother did not really like her and significantly favored her sister.
But when her mother told her at the age of eight that she wished she had aborted her, the Original Poster (OP) held on to that grudge for years after the fact.
She asked the sub:
The OP had a grudge against her mother.
"I (22 Female) have been holding onto a grudge due to something my mom told me when I was roughly eight or nine years old."
"Growing up, I was a rebellious kid and always felt as if my mom favored my older sister. My sister would always get whatever she wanted."
"I know she was born with Down syndrome and always needed more attention and care, but if my sister wanted my tablet, for example, she would have it for the whole day while mine was limited to 30 minutes so she could have it."
"As a kid, I lashed out more because of this. She could take all of my things, but I could never use hers."
During a heated moment, the OP's mother said something unforgivable.
"Eventually, this led to an argument with my mom. I don't recall the whole thing, but it was related to my sister and how I felt my mom didn't care about me or give me the same amount of attention."
"The fight got heated, and I probably told my mom that I hated my sister and her."
"I remember she said back, 'I never wanted you from the start. I knew I should've aborted you when I had the chance.'"
" I didn't know what aborted meant at the time, and I remember I looked it up, and it made me cry. I never forgot it, and it lingers in my mind whenever I am home."
The OP's mother pressured her to "let it go" and move on.
"Even growing up, I still brought it up, and she would get mad, saying I need to let it go and how I'm stubborn for not just forgetting what she said."
"There was even a time in high school when she took me to a therapist, and she complained about how I never dropped what she said."
"She says I need to move on from it because it has affected my relationship with her, and she wants to fix it."
"I know I'm older now and it was so long ago, but it still hurts, and I feel like it's made me not want to have her in my life in the future, and I have told this to her."
"How I don't want her in my life once I move out, get married, or have my own kids."
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
Some reassured the OP that this sounded like a core memory more than a grudge.
"The axe forgets. The tree remembers."
"It sounds less like you're holding a grudge and more that this is a formative, core memory for you."
"It won't stop being a core memory (unless maybe with the help of a lot of therapy). Has your mom ever apologized for saying that? Because you don't have to forget to forgive, but if she's not remorseful for saying that terrible thing to her young child (not just remorseful that you remember it), then she probably needs therapy (or is a narcissist/sociopath/similar)."
"You are certainly not obligated to 'get over it.'" - Hot-Can3615
"This is not a 'grudge'; it is pain that is still felt to such a degree. If she said it, then she was thinking it. She'll probably never apologize, but that doesn't mean your pain is or was invalid." - Fast_Register_9480
"NOR. This kind of thing needs a real apology. Like she needs to acknowledge the damage and genuinely care about it. Brushing it off won’t make it go away." - TentacleWolverine
"NOR. Did she really want to fix things? She basically just told you to get over it from the start instead of giving you a sincere apology."
"That isn't working on anything. She wants you to get over it so she can pretend that she never said it, so she doesn't have to feel bad about what she did. It doesn't sound like she cares much about how you feel."
"She just doesn't want to deal with it. For that reason, I would still have issues with what she said." - Chemical-Ad6809
"If your relationship with your mother is being affected by the actions of your mother, your mother is responsible for fixing it."
"You should know you probably aren't ever going to get closure, but you don't have to swallow it down. It helps to be the person you needed when you were younger out loud to yourself, but especially to others."
"For example: My name is Liz, and my mom told me to go ahead and do it already and save us all the heartache when I finally had the courage to tell her about how much I've been struggling with self-harm and suicidal ideation. I'm never going to forgive her for that, and we have never been close as a result of her actions."
"You aren't holding onto a grudge; you have a core memory of your mother distilling her feelings into a world-shattering sentence."
"You did not have a secure attachment before and can't have one now because of the deep trauma. You do not apologize for being stabbed."
"Find another therapist. I mean it. Someone who cares about your well-being wouldn't force you to apologize for being verbally abused as a child. I'm 29 now, and I lived through it. I still struggle with suicidal ideation daily, but once I stopped relying on my mom and unstable sources for support, my life got better immediately."
"You want things for comfort and familiarity. Don't let your mom or your therapist gaslight you into crossing a boundary."
"It might help to ask for a written five-part apology from your mom. 1. Acknowledge what you did 2. Say why it was wrong 3. Promise not to do it again 4. Ask how to make amends. 5. Share your feelings at this time if there's anything you'd like to say."
"My mom can be a good person and a bad mom and role model. Being in your own company is so much better than poor company." - PotLuckyPodcast
Others hoped the OP would go no contact with her mother sooner rather than later.
"NOR. It’s emotional abuse. And you do not owe her closeness after that, especially as she refuses to be accountable for that and try to make it up to you."
"She knows you have her number, and she can’t forgive you for knowing what a colloidal b***h she is."
"It’s unlikely that will change; it will at least be turned back on you with her the victim."
"Stop expecting her to apologize. If she doesn’t pay your bills, ghost her." - SnooCheesecakes2723
"My mom said something similar. My brother and I were adopted, and when I was a teen, in front of a church lady, she said, 'We didn't even really want you, but the people didn't want to split y'all up, so we just took you, too.'"
"Me and the church lady were shook. When I say my falbbers were ghasted. Like huh? She didn't remember saying that when I brought it up years after the fact."
"I also got grounded two times for two separate nine weeks (for C's on my report card) and a three and a half to four months (for smoking at 16 and getting caught because she liked to just pop up out of nowhere), and we just had a talk about that, and she didn't even remember."
"She said, 'No, I didn't. I never grounded you for that long,' and when I gave my rebuttal, she said, 'Well, if I did, it definitely wasn't for no nine weeks or months,' and this started because she was praising me for reading so much and liking books. I said, 'Well, when you were grounded like me, that's all I could do (no TV, no friends outside of school, no music, nothing but my room and books)."
"There's a reason I only call or answer her calls once or twice every few weeks. And I only call to get food, really..." - ManicalMoe
"‘Fine, I'm sorry’ is not an apology."
"Whilst I’m sure it was said in anger, most things said in anger have a grain of truth. There are also some things that no half-decent parent ever says to their children, no matter how angry they are, and this is one of them! It also sounds like she has made repeated similar comments of not wanting you as her child."
"I understand her eldest had a disability, but this is no excuse for neglecting and emotionally abusing her younger child. Lots of families deal with a child with additional needs whilst still managing to prioritise their other kids. Children with Down syndrome are capable of understanding ‘that’s your sister's, not yours; give it back’ !! It sounds like your mum has mental health issues?"
"Do you have a present father or other family you can turn to?"
"Protect your peace. Your mum has hurt you time and time again, honestly, for no real gain other than momentarily satisfying her anger. You owe this woman nothing." - Background_Term9810
"I went through something similar. When I was a little girl, my mother used to make comments that implied she didn't want me, though it was never that explicit. 'I only had you because your brother wanted a sister,' and 'My figure never recovered after you; after your brother, it did.'"
"Each comment stayed with me, but I never addressed it with her. I tried to move on and leave it in the past. She did a lot of horrible things throughout my life, but her behavior was always ignored because that's the precedent my dad set, where she can do essentially whatever she wants."
"A few months ago, she came to see me because I was desperate for help and sick. Instead of helping, she made my life so much worse. I won't go into details. At one point, I could no longer keep it inside, and I told her that she is a narcissist, to which she responded with, 'It would have been better if I had never had you.'"
"In some ways, it felt really good to hear her come out and say it. It felt good to hear the truth I've always known."
"I don't know what you should do, but I've chosen to not forgive."
"Every time I forgave, I just let her know that she can get away with whatever horrible things she had done. Her apologies were never real apologies. She always found ways to blame me or others for whatever she had done."
"And I'm truly just done with it. As sad as it is to not have a mom, it's sadder to pretend that you have one when in reality you don't... quite the opposite, if anything." - Neos_Mom
"So, OP, what will hurt more: keeping her and the grudge in your life or making a break and going low or no contact with her?"
"Frankly, we've no idea of what she might have been dealing with at the time, but regardless, what she said was said only to cause pain and suffering. 'Sorry' doesn't magic that intent away."
"Me, I think spending time alone or with friends or in therapy away from her might be what you need here. You might come to some sort of acceptance, but if this is something that's just going to keep coming between you, then stop trying to have that relationship." - Tal_Tos_72
After the OP received feedback, she shared a few clarifications from her original post.
"I wanted to clear some things up, take accountability where it's due, and provide some much-needed context from many people commenting the same questions."
"I want to be completely honest. We had many arguments, and I was a rebellious kid. I acted out and argued with my mom."
"I don't want to give off the impression that I was an entirely innocent kid who never did anything wrong and my mom just snapped out of nowhere. We both said hateful and hurtful things to each other during our fights."
"Growing up, the only way she would accept an apology was if I got on my knees and begged her for forgiveness. If I ever asked her to apologize to me, she would say, 'I have nothing to apologize for; you should be the one begging for my forgiveness.'"
The OP had a lot of physical memories, too.
"Things also would turn into physical arguments, not just verbal ones."
"There were times when she would get so angry she would get physical. Like yanking me by my hair, twisting my arms, or throwing things at me (like remotes, a bug spray can, or a radio)."
"When she yanked my hair, I would fight back just to get her to let me go, and she would scream that I was trying to kill her and she would get me arrested. When she twisted my arm, and I begged her to stop because it felt like it was going to break, she would say she hoped it did."
"When she threw objects at me, she would say she wished they would hit my face."
"I remember in middle school, during an argument, she said she wished she could break my face and that she hated it because I look like my dad. I won’t lie, whenever she said things like that, I would say nasty comments about how she chose to have him put us in her."
While the OP wasn't financially ready to move out yet, she hoped to as soon as possible.
"Why haven't I moved out yet? The main reason I haven't been able to move out is financial."
"I wasn't making enough to support myself without worrying about whether I’d end up having to crawl back home."
"Thankfully, I have recently found a better-paying job. My plan is to move out between mid-to-late October, or early November at the latest."
"The only reason I can't leave this exact second is because I have a few legal/administrative things to get cleared up so I’m completely untied from my mom, which will take a few weeks."
The OP also had proof that her mother liked her sister better.
"Has my mom ever admitted to favoring my sister? Yes."
"In arguments, she has explicitly told me that she doesn't see me as her legitimate daughter, and that she adored my sister more and forever will. She has also called me a 'monster,' told me there is a certain type of evil inside of me, and said she was afraid I would be just like my dad and try to harm them."
"She would even tell me that she was telling family and friends these things about me, but then later claim she 'just said it in the moment' and wouldn't be crazy enough to actually tell people that."
"Because I was so confused growing up and didn't know if she was lying or telling the truth, I started avoiding our family when they came over."
"Naturally, that just made things worse because she would get mad at me for avoiding them (even now as an adult), completely ignoring the fact that she was the one who lied about what she told them."
Unfortunately, the OP didn't have support from her father.
"What about my dad? My dad is not in my life."
"He was around sporadically, but never as a stable parent. My parents separated before I was born and divorced when I was two or three."
"Growing up, it was just constant back-and-forth toxicity, with him telling me how toxic my mother was, and her telling me the same about him."
"He would mostly only come over to see my sister, and often used me to care for her if he wanted to take her out to eat. Ultimately, my dad didn't care about anyone else other than my sister (and his drugs)."
"I hope this can clear some questions on the original post. I know I didn't provide many details as I originally should have. I honestly didn't want to post something too long, and I honestly did not expect it to be noticed."
"Thank you all for taking time to talk to me and share your thoughts."
The subReddit fully sided with the OP, pointing out that no matter how heated the moment was, it would never excuse the terrible things the OP's mother had said to her.
If the OP's mother really wanted a relationship with her, she'd drop the defensiveness and demands, offer a genuine apology, and work hard to be better for both of her children.
That takes a very rare kind of person to pull off, and it didn't sound like the OP's mother had that in her.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp