We all have our vices. Mine was gaming on my smartphone.
Passing a level is like a high, and once you're on a roll, it's hard to stop crushing candies.
By the time I realized I was glued to the phone at work during my breaks, I had to tear myself away. But when I realized my colleagues were engaged on social media and I had nobody to interact with – it was back to my gaming world.
So much for trying to be more socially active.
Others found more success.
Redditor Clear-Chef asked strangers on the internet:
"What is something you thought you enjoyed but then learned you are actually much happier without?"
Those who pried themselves away from the things they thought were bringing them joy discovered they were much better off without them – like smoking or even cooking.
I understand the benefits of deleting my gaming apps, and there may be another attempt in the future.
Just don't ask me to give up coffee. It will never happen, and if you deny me my cup of joe, I'll scratch your eyes out.
Smoking
"Cigarette, smokers know how enjoyable smoking is, but after enjoying smoking for years I realized I had to stop, because even in a small work or activity I get out of breath easily. Now that I had stop smoking, my stamina begins to improve and I got a lot of work done everyday without worrying of getting out of breath."
One-Sided Friendships
"Energy-draining friendships."
"I'm just tired of supporting friends through their hardships all day long and only talking about issues etc."
"Notwithstanding the fact that it's often one-sided, friendships were you just enjoy one another without constantly talking about your/their issues is a breath of fresh air and a very welcome comfort bubble where you can just escape reality."
– Terroa
Getting High
"Weed. My boyfriend is a huge stoner, so for a while I felt pressured to try and keep up. But I'm one of those poor souls who spend the entire high ruminating on how they are not having a good time, so I don't smoke. More for the boyfriend anyways."
Out All Night
"Partying, doing drugs, and staying up all night. Turns out I actually enjoy waking up feeling good and well-rested."
Extracurricular Activity
"I used to be super involved in post-work activities- volunteering, running groups, leagues, etc. The pandemic shutdown made me realize all these things were draining me as I wasn't getting enough time at home just unwinding. I was racing from work to whatever, and then getting home just in time to sleep."
– wrilbo67
It's In Everything We Eat
"Sugar. The first few days are hell but once you get over that hump, being sugar-free will change your life!"Gaming
"A specific kind of video game. Anything that wants daily play to manage progression. Gacha Games. Destiny. Whatever. If it plays off my fear of missing out I'm just done. They create a stress that I neither want nor need. It's manipulative. It's awful. I am of the opinion it's unethical and want it and the micro transactions that often go with it regulated because many times they're aimed at children who are far more susceptible to it than I am. There's too many horror stories of kids dropping hundreds of bucks off their parents stolen credit card to get V-Bucks, Clash of Clans Gems/what have you."
– Aminar14
Booze
"Alcohol."
"I figured I'd give sober October a spin. So far it's been pretty amazing. I haven't missed it at all and I don't think I'll go back to drinking. It's only been a couple of weeks and I've already lost a bit of weight."
Certain Gym Memberships
"Going to the gym. It was a specialized strength gym in a warehouse, gritty and full of people who trained hard. I was there for 7 years, made friends, met my husband, competed, and set gym records. Huge part of my life."
"But it was actually full of drama and bullies and law breaking and it was unbelievably dirty and unsanitary. People I thought were my friends turned out to be catty and awful. During quarantine they secretly stayed open (we did not go), cops were called a few times, they had online bullying witch hunts, and currently nobody wears masks or distances at all - according to the idiot members posting on social media (our state mandates masks)."
"Good f'king riddance. We built our own garage gym and it's like a huge weight was lifted (ha)."
Chop Chop, Bye Bye
"Cooking. When I was younger I used to love helping my mom and grandma cook. Now its just annoying to me. It sucks cause I know that when I start to live on my own, I'm going to have to know how to cook for myself to survive."
"Straight men of Reddit, what is the strangest thing you have been told not to do because 'that's gay?'"
The following behavior just screams, "gay," fellas. Watch out.
Song Choice
"Sing a Lily Allen song during karaoke."
– KentuckyFriedEel
School Protocol
"Advice I received in high school from other students:"
"Don't cross your legs with one knee over the other. Put one ankle over the other knee."
"When carrying books, palm them and carry them at your side. Don't rest one edge of the books near your waist."
"Never button the top button of your shirt."
– Gorf_the_Magnificent
Look, But Don't Look
"This one time, at summer camp, this guy who'd just been swimming in the lake told me you could tell how cold the water was by how hard his nipples were. 'But don't stare too long,' he said, 'because that's gay.'"
"You were the one who told me to look in the first place!"
– SonOfTheShire
Sandwich For Sissies
"When I was a kid, my dad called me a sissy because I cut a sandwich diagonally."
– captainmagictrousers
Getting Woodwind
"I played the clarinet. I got called Faginet a lot."
– Virtual_Caramell
"But that's one women do," one might argue.
Daddy Duty
"Changing my daughter's diaper. Mentioned it in the office one day. Called gay."
– Bullydaddy
A Lighter Shade
"Buying a white IPhone."
– Freshrendar
"Added my husband (then boyfriend) to my phone plan. Went to the store on my own to upgrade both our phones. We both just wanted the next gen Samsung. It was only available in purplish-pink in store."
"I shrugged and said it didn't matter, he's putting a case on it anyways. Guys working at the store kept trying to talk me out of it, actively pushing me to go to another store, making them lose commission, just so my partner wouldn't have a feminine phone. He used his pink phone for 3 years."
– Caity26
Life Skills
"I've been criticized for knowing how to sew and cook. Those are essential life skills!"
– placeholderNull
"My father was a Marine drill instructor in the 50's. Guess who did all the sewing in my house growing up?"
"Yeah, no one dared to call him gay for it."
– desrever1138
Here are examples of guidelines for being a manly man, according to manly men.
Manly Appetite
"Not a straight man but... back in my bartending days I asked a man if he wanted to see a dessert menu. He said 'if I wanted dessert I'd order wings like a real man.'"
"Weird flex but okay."
– BigJiggies
When I'm In The Mood, I Masticate
"When I'm feeling extra manly, I just take a bite out of a cow and then chew on some raw wheat."
"Like a man."
– AmigoDelDiabla
No Appointments Necessary For Straight Men
"I left a pick-up basketball game because I had an appointment to get a haircut. Evidently, the only straight way to get a haircut is as a walk in."
– patricksaurus
Abiding By The Law Is So Gay
"Using turn signals. And not as some sort of euphemism, but literally using them while driving to turn or change lanes."
– Sargatanus
In grade school, some fellow classmates asked me to check for gum on my shoe because they saw me step in some.
When I lifted my leg to take a gander, the boys were howling hysterically as if my actions confirmed something.
Well, it sure did. Apparently, if I l looked at the bottom of my shoe from in front of me, I was "normal," but since I bent my leg back and looked at the bottom of my shoe from behind, that made me "so gay."
Although, I didn't come out 'til years later, maybe those goons were onto something. Thanks for the heads up, guys.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.