She Threw Away the Handbag She Bought to Celebrate Her Sobriety—But Her Husband Secretly Saved It
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Supporting a loved one through recovery can be complicated.
In this story, a man supported his wife who was recovering from an alcohol problem.
However, two years ago, she relapsed, so she decided to throw away a new handbag that was meant as a reward for her progress.
He decided to keep the bag instead, thinking it would be meaningful.
But when she found out what he did, difficult emotions came back, and they started arguing about it.
Check out the full details below.
AITA for keeping the handbag bag my wife threw away because I thought she would want it back some day?
My wife has struggled with alcoholism for several years.
She has done a lot of good work to get better. I love and support her with all of it.
Her drinking was a problem. It was very self-focused.
Rarely did she do something that hurt anyone else, including me.
This man was very supportive of his wife’s progress… until she relapsed.
She did a lot of secret drinking. I was surprised to find out about it.
2023 was the last time she had a drinking binge. She had been sober for two years before then. It was hard to watch.
Every year of sobriety, she will buy herself something nice to celebrate.
She got herself a cute handbag for work the year before she slipped up.
She slipped, so she didn’t want to keep the bag that was meant as her reward.
In 2023, she slipped. She was very upset. She said she did not deserve the bag. She threw it away.
I saved the bag for her. I felt it was something that she should have regardless.
I put it away in storage.
She did not see it.
She later found out that he kept it in storage, so she was disappointed.
We are in the middle of moving to a new home. She has recently found the bag.
She ended up being very upset about this and said that I did something against her wishes.
She threw it away because it would motivate her. She wanted to eventually be able to buy something new.
She said it would be a reminder of her relapse.
Now, he’s confused if it was really a wrong move to keep the bag.
I genuinely thought that I was doing something nice and thoughtful for her.
I do not have a robust group of friends.
None of them really have much experience with addiction.
AITA?
That honestly sounds like a tough situation to be in… where OP’s good intentions didn’t match the result.
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He clearly meant well, but recovery can make certain choices feel deeply personal.
This clearly shows that even small actions with good intentions can carry a lot of emotional weight.
Let’s see how others reacted to this story on Reddit.
This person thinks both have valid points.
This user shares their personal thoughts.
Here’s another honest opinion.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a friend who is upset they missed out on cheap festival passes due to her pal’s indecision.
Another person chimes in.
Finally, this user sides with OP.
Helping someone means respecting the way they choose to heal.
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