🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
A Reddit post has gone viral after a person refused an alcoholic drink as part of their girlfriend's family tradition, eventually leaving "after being egged on too much."
The post, titled "AITA for not drinking during my girlfriend's family tradition?", was shared to the subreddit "AmItheA***hole" on Thursday by u/drinkingwiathway.
u/drinkingwiathway revealed they have a rule where they "never drink alcohol." Among the many reasons why include "from general health to honoring loved ones."
u/drinkingwiathway went with their girlfriend to her family's party where they have a tradition in which everyone takes a shot "to honor one of their dead relatives." The shot is taken in unison, and they talk about what they're thankful for.
The Redditor continued: "But I told the person handing me the shot I wouldn't drink, and he looked at me funny. Her cousin pointed me out before they drank it and said I need a shot, and I said, 'No I'm OK, I don't drink,' and he said, 'It's just one shot.'"
"I said, 'No I can't, but please continue, I'll just drink something else,' and they refused to start. I ended up leaving after being egged on too much, and my girlfriend apologized for me, and we left."
u/drinkingwiathway said their girlfriend did what she could in their defense. However, the Redditor described the family as "just stubborn." They also revealed the family was talking about them, saying u/drinkingwiathway was "selfish," and how they were "ruining the night."
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that according to the 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), when looking at people age 18 and older, 85.6 percent reported having drunk alcohol "at some point in their lifetime."
Over 9,000 people have upvoted the post with 1,200 comments so far. People overwhelmingly are siding with u/drinkingwiathway, and they don't think they are the a**hole in the situation.
One Redditor said to "respect people's boundaries," and they don't think u/drinkingwiathway is the one at fault.
"That's very inconsiderate of them," they wrote. "You could be a recovering alcoholic or whatever. It's never a good idea to push someone to drink alcohol. Never! And that's coming from someone who likes to drink..." The comment received 15,100 upvotes alone.
A user brought up peer pressure, saying it "sucks," adding, "whether it's alcohol, eating something, smoking something, or being told to run in the rain."
Another agreed u/drinkingwiathway wasn't the a**hole, saying, "this is absolutely gross and unacceptable behavior to be coming from adults."
One Redditor commented that it's u/drinkingwiathway's choice to not drink. "Nothing more needs to be said," they also wrote.
"NTA you don't drink," someone else said. "Period. It's not anyone else's business why."
Some had suggestions for u/drinkingwiathway. "NTA, next time (if you choose to see them again) you could maybe fill a shot glass with a non-alcoholic drink?" they suggested.
One person is "super proud" of u/drinkingwiathway for standing their ground. "They are all grown adults," they said. "I fail to see why they need you to drink in order to have a good time."
Another user is on u/drinkingwiathway's side of things as well, saying their girlfriend's family doesn't "understand or respect boundaries."
One said it's clearly an NTA situation, adding: "'No' is a complete answer, and they must accept it."
Newsweek reached out to u/drinkingwiathway, who said: "I just want to say thank you for the overwhelming amount of support from Redditors. I've been having doubts on my drinking stance, but this has given me new confidence in it. My girlfriend and I are talking about cutting ties with certain people in her family because of their behavior, but her immediate family is on our side."
Updated 01/31/2022, 4:24 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comments from Redditor u/drinkingwiathway.
