Wife Paranoid Mom-in-Law Caught Her 'Secretly' Drinking Gin Sparks Debate

Whether you're a newly wed couple or have been married for a while, maintaining a smooth relationship with the in-laws may not be the easiest of tasks. A 35-year-old woman recently turned to London-based internet forum Mumsnet to share how she was feeling "paranoid" after she thought her 78-year-old "anti-drinking" mother-in-law caught her pouring an alcoholic drink.

Under the username Whywhywhypinky, the woman shared the post on Monday on the AIBU? (Am I Being Unreasonable?) channel and captioned it "Think MIL caught me adding gin to my drink! Help." Since then, the post has received 179 replies and the accompanying poll has seen a total of 728 votes, with 88% voting that the OP (Original Poster) was in fact being unreasonable.

In the post, the user described how she and her family had guests over and that "no one was drinking." The woman then decided to "secretly" pour herself a drink, mixing gin with lemonade.

"After, I Realised that my [mother-in-law] was now sat in a seat where she could have seen through from the lounge into the kitchen. ( if she had of turned her head backwards !!!!)," she wrote.

The woman then proceeded to describe that she felt "paranoid and angry at [herself]" as she worried that her mother-in-law may have "caught" her.

"I feel sick. I rarely drink. I poured the drink to calm my social anxiety! Now I feel sick as a dog that I might look like an alcoholic!," she said.

In addition, the user also appeared to be stressed about her husband finding out too, saying that "he would be mortified."

The woman then shared that shortly after she tried to talk to her mother-in-law, who "seemed quiet." However, the user also mentioned that her mother-in-law "has a history of being quiet and a bit moody."

"I'm totally freaking out," the woman wrote. "I shouldn't have done it !! I am feeling sick with worry."

She described that she felt so stressed that she "even went and put [her] phone at the window seat and recorded [herself] pouring the drink," to check if it would have been visible from the mother-in-law's perspective. According to the woman, there was a "high chance" that the mother-in-law had spotted her.

Since the post was shared, many users were "confused" about the situation and had trouble understanding why the woman was stressed out in the first place.

"I really don't get it. If I want a gin in my own house I'll bloody pour myself one and I don't care who knows it," one user wrote.

"I'd need a gin as well if I had to live like this. Why are you so worried?," another commenter wondered.

"You're an adult, you're allowed to have a gin in your own house," a user agreed.

Meanwhile, others were concerned about the woman using alcohol as a remedy for her social anxiety.

"What help are you getting with your anxiety issues? A shot of gin isn't a great plan— which you know, because you were doing it 'sneakily.' Next time just offer everyone drinks, pour what you like and don't sneak around," one user shared.

According to the U.K's National Health Service, social anxiety (otherwise known as "social phobia") is a "long-term and overwhelming fear of social situations." The problem can start as early as the teenage years and progress throughout adulthood. While there are multiple potential treatments for a person suffering from social anxiety, some of the most common include cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants, such as escitalopram or sertraline.

This wouldn't be the first time a post went viral after a user shared their interactions with in-laws. Recently a mom expressed her frustration that her in-laws love her kids "too much," sparkling debate on Mumsnet.

A wife was praised for installing a gate to stop her "intrusive" mother-in-law from dropping by and just a week ago, another mom-in-law was judged for bringing her son's ex to a family party.