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People Divulge The Real Reason They Cut All Ties With Their Family

Reddit user Alarming_Basil6205 asked: 'People who cut off their family, what did they to you?'

CW: abuse and neglect.

Some people see their family on a regular, sometimes daily basis.

Others see them in person maybe once or twice a year, even if they remain on mostly good terms and stay in contact via phone or video chat.

Then there are those who sadly are no longer in contact with their families, by their own choosing.

Some people slowly realize that being an active part of their family's life simply isn't healthy for them, and gradually phase them out.

While others might cut ties with their family immediately following one inciting incident.


Redditor Alarming_Basil6205 was curious to hear why people made the bold decision to cut ties with their family, leading them to ask:
"People who cut off their family, what did they to you?"

Still Trying To Cut Ties

"Grew up in an explosive and abusive household, when I was finally able to move out I started slowing distancing myself."

"Mom went off the deep end."

"Started out accusing me of sleeping with every single person I know (yes, EVERY person),coming up with outlandish stories for why I was an awful person."

"When I cut her off completely she started stalking me."

"I changed my number and moved to a new state, I did not give anyone, including my brother, my new home address, and started receiving cards in the mail from her last year."- lovelyxcastle

Lies, Manipulation, And Abuse

"I found out my dad wasn't really my dad, and then my mother proceeded to lie about what actually happened."

"I experienced a childhood full of physical & verbal abuse, but he never laid a hand on my sisters."

"Now I know why."

"I corroborated the truth via other family members before cutting off all contact with mom & 'dad'."

"Still close with sisters though."- chAtoyant453

Couldn't Help, No Matter How Hard They Tried

"My cousin had addiction problems and just burned every bridge in our family."

"Used to be we’d buy him food and stuff he needs instead of just giving him money because it’d go straight to more drugs but he eventually became so toxic we couldn’t even do that."- KermitTheFraud92

Only Present When Convenient

"My father was an abusive alcoholic who left us when I was a teen."

"He was clearly not okay mentally."

"We reconnected in my early 20s and when I finally started to build my trust for him again he disappeared."

"He tried to reconnect with me a year later when he needed something."

"I haven't spoken to him since then."- Ducktheducky

Theft

"My cousin (still a12yo child at this point) lost both her parents and the family had to help her sell her parental house."

"Long story short, one of my aunts secretly sold the house without telling anyone and kept the profit (250k) for herself."

"Everyone thought the house was still up for sale until the real estate agent informed my cousin's actual guardian (a different aunt) that my other aunt had sold the house and he thought it was sketchy."

"Good news though, my aunt was sued, had to pay everything back and the 250k was directly deposited into my cousin her bank account and my aunt received an additional 50k fine she had to pay my cousin and guardian aunt for emotional damage."

"We do not speak about this aunt anymore."- locococomokko

Humiliation Over Help

"Aunt in the rich part of the family made my mother clean their bathrooms one day when she told them we couldn't afford food (unlucky situation, both parents unemployed within days), instead of just helping her out."

"They didn't even pay her, they gave her food they had prepared that day and some potatoes and oil."

"From that day on, my mother was so hurt and felt so humiliated I decided to pretend they don't even exist."- oo-----D

Greed And Elder Abuse

"I cut out my mother's side of the family."

"Her sister and brother made it their personal goal to financially ruin my parents."

"Then the other sister piled on."

"All three of them had been borrowing money from my grandparents for years and when the other sister sold my grandparents house out from under them 'because they cant live on their own anymore' my grandparents were appalled when they were told by my aunt that she was putting them in a home."

"So they lived with my parents instead and the other siblings accused my parents of taking their inheritance."

"They harassed, stalked, and vandalized my parents property until both grandparents were dead."

"I will never forgive them and hope their own children treat them as poorly as they treated my parents and grandparents."- Jubjub0527

At Least There's One

"Mother - was never really present."

"Even after my father died."

"Brother - Father died when I was not an adult."

"House was left to four of his sons."

"One brother conned into signing the house over to him for loan purposes to fix the house up."

"Stole house."

"Another brother - stole from me and my family with high regularity."

"Forgave him a bunch of times."

"Kept doing it so I gave up."

"Extended family - non existent."

"With all that being said I have a fantastic relationship with the last brother."- Hopchocky

Befitting Of A "Runaway"...

"They reported me to my country's officials for being a 'runaway' (I was 26), a heathen, a wh*re, and (I wish this was a joke) a witch."

"All are crimes in my country."

"So yes. I have nothing to do with them anymore."- just_lurking_b99

Lies And Abuse Were Just The Tipping Point

"My sister was cut off about 10 years ago after several incidents involving her spreading rumors about me at my work for a third time."

"She told one of my boss that I was a hard drug user (i never touch the stuff)."

"She kept doing that after I warned her."

"I cut off the rest of my family when I confronted them about multiple historical events of physical abuse and torture from when I was a kid."

"They refused to talk about it and were verbally abusive about it."

"I cut them off about 5 years ago and my life has taken a positive turn since."- riconoir28

Not Cut Ties, But Rather Loosened Ties

"Just stress."

"Every phone call, every visit, holidays , events."

"Constantly berated, questioned and feuding."

"I didn’t cut them off in the sense of no contact."

"I just stopped caring."

"I don’t ask, I don’t get involved."

"Phone calls last 3 minutes because I have nothing to share everything is good here."

"Holidays I eat and leave."

"And I’m too busy for random drop ins because kids have sports and friends and I have hobbies."

"When they come to me and vent I simply respond in unique ways that they’ll figure it out and I’m unsure what I’d do in their place."- MochiSauce101

Unhealthy Work/Life Balance

"I grew up in a family that looked perfect from the outside."

"4 kids and parents as a solid unit."

"One thing we never talked about was dads explosive anger which led to 'episodes' that he would never apologize for."

"Just be nice later and we would all just brush it under the rug."

"Cut to my age of 31 and I had been working with my father as a financial planner for 6 years helping grow 'our' client base."

"My mother and younger sister work with us as well as assistants."

"Only problem is every 6 months to a year I’d get fired by my dad."

"Massive blowup and a 'f*ck you, I have everything and you have nothing'."

"'Get out and I will never talk to you again'.”

"Then he would be nice in a day or 2, make some promises to put things in writing and we’d all just forget it."

"But you only want to bring up 'that contract' so many times before you worried you would cause another episode."

"He would say things like, 'you really think I would throw you, my daughter in law and grandkids out on the street?'"

"You would think no of course not, it is what you threaten and I do get scared but no, he wouldn’t actually do that."

"Surprise, that’s what happens."

"Business value almost triples."

"He tortures me until I lose 17 pounds (and I’m a skinny guy) and I quit."

"Walk away with nothing."

"We end up hiring a company that works with family businesses for over 20k to help solve our family crisis."

"Specialists, psychologists and lawyers all involved."

"They write a report after interviewing every family member multiple times for hours and hours, including my siblings that don’t work there."

"Report comes out, my dad loses his mind."

"Fires the company that wrote the report."

"I make peace that it is all over."

"Start interviewing to just work at the bank."

"I have not been paid in almost 6 months."

"I have two daughters 3 years old and 1 years old."

"But my dad comes back and starts making promises again, re-hires the family business specialists."

"We have a meeting where I agree to not take the position at the bank after 3 successful interviews."

"I will manage the business while my father vacations for a month and he will sell me my own clients."

"But I agree cause I don’t really want to work at the bank."

"My dad leaves on his trip."

"I think things are finally getting worked out (for the 10th time) but he comes back a month later and won’t answer my calls."

"I go and see him in the office and bring my 1 year old who hasn’t seen for 4 months."

"He says he is going to finalize the list of clients I am to buy."

"I haven’t talked to my dad since."

"That was over 6 years ago."

"He ended up getting me fired from our investment dealer because I contacted 'his clients' even though he had either never met them or they were some of my best friends."

"Then he sued me."

"I had no money or anyway to fight him so I just abandoned everything and started over."

"I don’t talk to my dad, mom, brother, older sister, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins and many family friends."

"They all got my fathers narrative."

"The patriarch said get out and everyone else just let it happen."

"Only my younger sister who worked there knows what happened and we are very close."

"We both just don’t talk to our family."

"My wife and I are way better off and super happy."

"I made more money last year than I ever would have imagined and I’m my own boss."- bosonsNblackholes

Cutting ties with family members is never a decision to be taken lightly.

And working towards a resolution and reconciliation is always an excellent first step.

Sometimes though, the only way to reach a peaceful resolution is to move on and step away.


People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.