There’s no doubt about it…life is hard!
And sometimes, the easiest thing a person can do is deny what’s in front of them to make their existence a little bit easier.
Hey, no judgment here!
Do what you gotta do to get through the day!
Check out what AskReddit users had to say about this phenomenon.
1. Family drama.
“So my sister gets married, he husbands family are pretty heavy drinkers, and it’s the full range of drinks; beers whenever, mixed drinks, straight hard liquor like vodka, whatever is on hand, and plenty of it; seven days a week, and all day on weekends, holidays, etc.
So her husband’s brother, late 20’s, hits it a lot harder than even the other people in his family; a full handle of vodka after work every day kind of hard. Four or five over a weekend, all by himself.
So he gets sick, not felling well, tired, etc. but just puts it down to getting older and maybe not handling his liquor like he used to, but doesn’t cut back at all.
Once he starts turning yellow, he gets to the doctor, who tells him his liver is shot; full cirrhosis, there’s nothing left of it, whatever. He tells the doc he doesn’t know why, he doesn’t drink any more than the people he knows, it’s a mystery, but he’ll stop entirely to get put on a list for a new liver.
He obviously doesn’t stop drinking, doesn’t even cut back. Everyone knows it’s the drinking and cirrhosis, but he and his family start calling it “cancer”- it’s cancer, so the drinking has nothing to do with it.
So he eventually ends up in the hospital full time because there’s no liver for him yet, and his family starts sneaking vodka into the hospital so he can keep drinking.
He left the hospital on a slab, and the family starts asking people for money for cancer walks, stuff like that, and not a one of them cut back the drinking at all.”
2. Yikes.
“Ex’s mom: moved to Vegas from Europe. Went broke gambling over 10 or so years, practically homeless.
Then she got injured on a casino escalator and was compensated more than fairly with a life changing amount of money.
Guess who went broke again, pretty much exclusively at the same casino?
3. Sad story.
“My Dad has PSP/dementia.
My Mom refused to acknowledge that it was a developing problem, because it was an “inconvenience to their lifestyle”. I confronted her, because he needed to have his drivers license taken away, because he was a danger on the road.
My Dad impulsively went out one day, bought a BMW without her present, and later drove it underneath a semi truck.
And shocker- that was when she realized he was unwell. I also had to find out through extended family about his accident, because she didn’t want give us “the satisfaction” of being right all along.”
4. Oh, Mom…
“My mother (now deceased) refused to wear glasses because she didn’t like how they looked on her.
Instead, she insisted her eyesight was “not that bad” and the fact we had to read menus to her at restaurants was just a cute quirk.”
5. Toxic.
“My mother and father divorced 26 years ago. It was a toxic marriage and probably for the best that they part ways.
Since then she has been remarried and is happy with her new husband. We all get along and my parents get along for the sake of visits and being around grandkids.
To this day my father wants to get back together with my mother. I don’t blame him there if he still loves her but the denial part is he thinks he did nothing wrong in the marriage.
He is under the impression that he was the perfect husband and he is doing her a “favor” by taking her back if she did come back. The reality is he did not treat her well, she left and is now with someone who makes her happy.”
6. Oh, no…
“Got a friend.
He’s in his fifties, makes next to minimum wage.
Drinks and eats too much. He and his GF (late sixties) live with a mutual friend.
They’re “discussing” adopting a child.”
7. Hmmm…
“Nurse who thought the lump in her breast was nothing important and the open sore appearing was also nothing important and once it started draining thought it was nothing important despite dressing it daily.
Was confronted by coworkers after the smell became so rank it lingered where she went. Stage IV cancer with mets to bones and brain. Passed away soon after.
She was the manager of the oncology unit.”
8. Oh, boy…
“Hilaria Baldwin’s commitment to her fake Spanish accent, even after she was outed as having been born and raised in Boston with zero Spanish heritage.”
9. Come on, man.
“Friend diagnosed with diabetes 10 years ago, has needle phobia so afraid of pricking his fingers to monitor his blood sugar so doesn’t, and just “eats healthy”.
Due to blood sugar fluctuations, gradually goes blind and kidney fails, 3.5 years on dialysis, then finally gets a kidney transplant.
Home again with new kidney, is still afraid of pricking his fingers and decides he will manage his diabetes by “eating healthy” just like he did for the past 10 years.”
10. I believe it.
“I am a teacher.
I have so many parents in denial about their children’s grades or behavior. I once had a kid headbutt me and break my nose bc he couldn’t go to recess right then and there, “but he’s an angel at home!” (Where he’s only ever playing on a tablet)
I also have one parent in particular who has 4 children, and ALL of them have behavior problems, to the point of multiple suspensions or being made to move schools or teachers. and I have to wonder: after 4 children with issues…is it not possible YOU might be part of the problem?”
11. Wow.
“My dismissive avoidant mom was a master of denial.
The worst was when she got an abscess in her pelvic area. She was in 10/10 pain, couldn’t sit up, was literally white knuckling a body pillow while laying on the couch unable to move for A WEEK and when I (age 10) would suggest she go to a doctor it was all “Oh no no I’m totally fine! I don’t need to see a doctor.”
This woman literally scheduled an appointment with a specialist and WAITED THE 10ish DAYS for the appointment instead of going to urgent care. She drove herself there in 10/10 pain.
The doctor took one look at her and told her to put on a gown and meet her downstairs for immediate surgery. They drained so much yuck from her and she had to have the gauze packing to heal the crater left behind etc.
It’s a miracle she didn’t get sepsis.”
12. LOL.
“My sister wears flannel shirts and has really short hair and drives a Subaru and wears a battleaxe necklace and has a pile of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Editions and a lesbian pride flag in her room and my mom still hasn’t figured out she’s gay.”
Maybe it’s better for some folks to live in denial.
Hey, do your own thing!
If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.