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People Who've Recovered from COVID-19 Explain What It Was Like

If you clicked on this article hoping to use it to support some sort of agenda, I hate to admit it but you're probably going to be disappointed.

When one Reddit user asked people to talk about their personal experiences suffering with COVID-19, they probably had no idea that they'd highlight one of the most perplexing aspects of our current pandemic. People's experiences are wildly different.


Some breezed through it practically without knowing they were sick. Others legitimately feared for their lives or stayed sick for so long that it started affecting their mental health as well as their physical wellbeing.

Obviously those who have lost their battles with this pandemic aren't exactly available to hang out on Reddit.

Faking It For Family

I had it in early April, probably from working at a quarantine facility where we didn't have enough PPE.

Loss of smell was my only symptom for a few days. Then mild productive cough. Then fatigue, body aches, and trouble breathing. Never had a fever, indigestion, etc.

The scariest part was that at that point, no one knew how to manage it. My doctor had zero advice other than rest and fluids. Didn't know what meds to avoid, expected progression, nothing.

My family and friends checked in a lot. They freaked out if I acted too sick, so I pretended my symptoms were much more mild than they were. I only shared my real symptoms with my partner and my doctor. In that regard, it was very lonely.

Difficulty breathing lasted about 5 days, then started to get better. Fatigue was the last symptom to disappear, it lingered about 10 days after I'd tested negative.

I'm 25, an EMT, and was working reduced hours when I got exposed. No pre-existing conditions.

- StalwartQuail

Participating In A Study

sick 1980s tv GIF by absurdnoise Giphy

Our family had it, including two toddlers.

Toddlers: mild symptoms - mostly low grade fever. Recovered in a couple days.

Wife: fever, fatigue, loss of smell. Recovered in about a week.

Me: worse symptoms - prolonged fever, headaches, hallucinations, sweats, indigestion, general soreness. About 4 straight days of harsh conditions. Recovered in about 2 weeks.

I'm going to try to answer some questions:

  1. Yes, we were all tested multiple times. Our toddlers are 2 and 4 and due to the rareness of children contracting COVID, they are participating in a study about COVID in children. As an FYI to parents - watching your children get tested is NOT fun and my kids have been through it several times.
  2. Tough to describe my hallucinations, but I would have to say it was like I was daydreaming. I used to do drugs and it's nothing like that. Fever chills would interrupt it sometimes.
  3. My wife and I are in our mid 40s and relatively healthy. Neither one of us experienced breathing issues.
  4. My wife got her sense of smell back about a week after her negative test. She mentioned she could smell our daughter's farts.
  5. I don't know our blood types.
  6. I work from home full time and my kids stay home full time. My wife works from home mostly, but she does go to various hospitals a few times a week (she works in construction as a PM -- a.k.a. she builds hospitals). We're pretty sure she got at one of them.
  7. My wife got it first, then me, then both kids together. We don't smoke, drink, do drugs ( I used to) and are fairly healthy (work out at the gym and swim several times a week). The doctor said our healthy lifestyle probably helped.
  8. We do not have any lingering symptoms. We have all been tested for the antibodies and have donated blood (and our kids' bodies) to help with the recovery efforts.
  9. IDK what else to say except COVID is very real and can fck you up no matter your age. Stay safe people.
- doubleflusher

When The Doctors Get Sick

Initially dry cough.

Worsened with a high grade fever

Loss of taste and smell.

Difficulty breathing, had to go to the ED twice

Improvement only after 12 days.

Post illness shortness if breath and 5kg weight loss

I am a 33 year old Male doctor in Ireland. I was fairly overweight and had low T symptoms prior to this and had been on the Keto diet and exercise. I had prior to this lost weight intentionally. The hospital I worked in had a poor response to the pandemic with inadequate and improper PPEs.

This led to a HUGE number of medical personnel(and their families) getting COVID-19. Believe me we were pissed at the administration of the hospital.

I developed symptoms rather innocuously with a dry cough. The next day my wife also had the same symptoms. I got tested a few days afterwards and we both were positive. We were contacted by occupational health and surprisingly were told to isolate from each other, the reason being is that we 'may' have different strains of the virus. So I was in one room of my house and my wife in another.

We were both told to come to the hospital immediately if we had shortness of breath or worsening of symptoms. Twice in the space of five days I had trouble catching my breath at rest. The thing about the virus is that the breathlessness feels like you sprinted till exhaustion and are catching your breath...but you can't really. I felt this after a FEW steps and it is truly terrifying. Despite being a doctor and handling shortness of breath regularly, nothing prepares you for actually feeling it.

Both times I immediately told my wife that I'm going to the hospital possibly for some oxygen and nebulizers. Thankfully with normal pulse oximetry readings and chest auscultations I didn't need either. But I had Xray changes showing Pneumonia in my right lung and was told to take antibiotics (at that time hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin for five days). I only took azithromycin as being a doctor I was concerned with potential side effects of the hydroxychloroquine.

One thing that scared me a lot was talk of the death rates. Even though I am a Doctor and the death rate compared to number of people infected was low, I still would think 'what if'. TBH when I was on my way to the emergency both times with shortness of breath I was fearing it getting worse and thought I could have died. Even afterwards I was frightened of getting worse a third time.

I rested a lot, drank plenty of water and avoided fizzy drinks. I stopped the Keto diet and focused on eating whatever I could to get energy, but I had a loss of appetite and the famous taste and smell loss. It is a strange side effect, it starts gradually and lasted for about four days before it gradually and completely resolved. You all would be surprised at the texture of many foods (some foods being 'sticky', 'sandy or coat the roof of your mouth quality). I couldn't believe how bad pizza and chicken tenders could be with this.

Throughout my infection I had a fever in excess of 37.5C(99.5F) for 12-13 days! It is so draining along with the cough. Initially it was dry but as i was recovering i would cough up flecks of pinkish purplish stuff in off white sputum. The cough itself lasted for five weeks and shortness of breath a week or so longer. But me and my wife thankfully are better, healthier and fully recovered. I haven't really noted any loss of stamina or weakness.


About my wife having COVID, she had mild symptoms in comparison to me and recovered quicker. None the less I was more concerned about her condition and would auscultate her (yeah I didn't listen to the occupational health about total Isolation, I wore a mask!) at intervals. The isolation from each other IMO was unnecessary and added to our stress.

I also was angry at the hospital I worked at for what had happened and how 70 of my colleagues were affected (yes 70 staff members!). The healthy staff members were severely overworked and at their breaking point. The worst part was that our administration started to call some of us back after a week of symptom onset! They didn't care at all, they just wanted the institute to run, even if it killed us. I thank God nobody out of us died. Naturally the ill will amongst us all remained and in a few months, en masse, 24 doctors from the department of medicine gave notices. They could only replace half of the number, quite frankly THEY DESERVED IT.

- moretime86

So. Much. Sh*t. 

I sht my pants twice over three weeks. Then I sht five times a day, at least.

Dizzy, nausea, wake up to choking cough like trying to vomit, lasted a few hours each day.

That's it for me.

- fastermouse

Chalk up one more for the pants sh*tting club. It was crazy.

My wife and I got her 80+ year old parents a long pacific cruise last Christmas. They left in January and we picked them up from the airport in early March. They were both coughing a lot. They stayed with us until they felt good enough to go home.

Her dad (had 3 preexisting conditions) ended up in the hospital with an initial pneumonia diagnosis but never went on a ventilator. Tested positive. Her Mom had a cough and headache. Also tested positive.

Mid March, my wife, my kids, and I, all got a bad headache for a few days. We were all really dizzy on the third day.

They all recovered quickly, but I had the only case that evolved into 2 weeks of constant constant sh*tting. I don't know where it came from. I was convinced my body was extracting sh*t from the air.

- donttrustthisguy111

May Need A New Career

I tested positive 23rd of June. I'm still not back to work. I work in thermoforming, with a factory with no air conditioning. My doctor refuses to approve me to go back. I can't walk around for more than an hour without being sopping wet from sweat. Before covid, I worked 12 hr shifts in some heavy heat, that building could get over 100 degrees easily.

Started out with a cough, then got SOOO much worse. Runny nose, high fever, coughing, mucus with blood. Felt like my chest was being caved in, and legs and arms felt so weak. Actually sh*t the bed a couple of times because I literally couldn't move.

Became dehydrated, and vomited and passed out. Woke up at the hospital covid ICU wing. The covid had advanced to pneumonia. About 60% of right lung was filled with fluid pockets, left about 40%. Loaded down with antibiotics and oxygen. Got released 3 days later thankfully.


My cough still had not stopped. It's gotten better, but I still have fits where I can't catch my breath. I now have to use an inhaler and tessalon perles. I can taste most things again, but majority of my smell is still gone. I have to go on Friday for a stress test, my heart isn't right. While I was at the hospital, my heart started to pause while I was sleeping or something like that. Can't work, running out of savings.

If anyone knows any desk jobs in Charlotte, hook me up! I don't know if I'll actually be able to go back to work in my factory at all right now, and we need paychecks.

Y'all I'm high 20s in age.

- DarthScab

Pretty Mild

Male, 30, no pre existing conditions or other significant risk factors.

Day 1: slight sore throat and a little coughing in the morning, couldn't really ever "wake up" from the morning.

Day 2-4: fatigue, body aches, headache that made it hard to process information, pretty mild respiratory symptoms.

Day 5-7: slight fatigue

Day 7-10: no symptoms

I had a very mild case

- RedditAtWork2019

The Smell Of My Pillow

I had it in mid march (New York Resident) and am fine now.

First 3 days (Friday-Sunday) I had extremely mild symptoms. My throat just didn't seem quite right. I was sneezing due to the window's breeze more easily than I should have, since it was too early for allergy season. I also inhaled the water I was drinking multiple times over the weekend. I noticed, but thought I was being paranoid.

Day 4 (Monday), they sent everyone home to work from home at around noon. I waited in a crowded grocery line (since this was the day they started limiting how many people could enter). Around 3 hours later it had clearly spread to my lungs from the upper respiratory track. I could feel the fluid in my lungs. My breathing wasn't steady (felt like sandpaper rubbing on sandpaper) and it was clear I was sick.


I started coughing up sputum on day 5 (Tuesday). I'd cough once, clear the fluid from my lungs and breath normally, and then it'd slowly get worse over the course of an hour until I coughed again. Repeat.

Day 6 (Wednesday): Fever. This was the first day I actually felt sick. You know normal fever symptoms, fever, muscle aches, sweating, etc.. I called out sick (remember working from home at this point anyways).

Day 8 (Friday): Was feeling better. Halfway between better and sick,. I resumed working.

Day 9 (Saturday): Woke up to the smell of my pillow, and was promptly weirded out. I didn't notice when my small/taste disappeared, but I definitely noticed it came back... Everything from my pillow, my shirt, the wooden table, etc. smelt. It wouldn't be for another week or two before the loss of sense of smell/taste symptom was discovered so I had no idea what was going on at the time. Anyways, at this point I felt better again.

Day 10+: A bit of coughing persisted for a couple days after that, but I felt healthy again. I never even came close to needing to be hospitalized, though, so lucky me.

- dubanx

Pool Water

pizza pool GIF by Party Down South Giphy

Fever, terrible headaches, sore eyes, fatigue, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste and loss of smell. Also had this weird burning sensation in my nose (similar to when you get pool water up your nose).

- art123456789101112

How Long Every Day Felt

Girlfriend and I both [25 y/o] tested positive for COVID in late March. No pre existing conditions, we are both in excellent shape and eat healthy as well.

I was sick for 28 days straight. Longest most taxing illness of my life.

Over that time I had 3 different rounds of fevers and couldn't get out of bed for most days.

The thing about Covid was just how long every single day felt. There was a couple times I felt so sick I wasn't sure if I was going to make it.

My girlfriend was sick for a solid 10-12 days but was not nearly as ill as I was.

I had fully lost my sense of smell from Covid. Until 2 weeks ago when I fell 6 feet and got a severe concussion.. my sense of smell returned. Crazy and makes no sense to me, but I am incredibly thankful to be able to smell trees and flowers and food.. man!

Anyways, now we both have antibodies and are feeling back to strength. We ran 27 miles this past Saturday.

- ouijib

COVID Improved Things

My response might get buried ... but I had these warts attacking my hands and fingers for years. Lasers, freezing, squaric acid, all kinds of stuff... nothing worked. Then I caught COVID in March, I was sick for two weeks... stomach problems... persistent cough... my running ability was impacted clearly for a while... but whatever happened in my body literally killed every wart I had. So I am in the minority in saying COVID definitely helped me.

My derm was very clear with me when I first met him about treatment. He's like "We can freeze these and use lasers, but you need to know that this exists because your immune system is not fighting it off like it should". Maybe the Covid kicked everything into high gear and my immune system got the picture?? All I know is I can tap my fingertip on a table, it doesn't hurt anymore, and I can't believe they're gone. It's like a second chance to have hands

- ManThatIsFcked

None Of The Same Symptoms

I felt like I had the flu and only got tested because of the pandemic. My flu-like symptoms lasted 3 days before I recovered but I've had no sense of smell for over a month

I had my daughter tested when my results came back positive and hers did as well. She, however, never developed so much as a low-grade fever

My girlfriend tested positive also, but her primary symptom was headaches

As someone who has had the flu twice and the swine flu once, either of those were much worse for me.

- Stinkietwinky

Terrified Of Getting Sick Again

Started off with a cough and then progressed to fatigue, chills, dizziness, and a mess of other symptoms I can't even remember. I never had a fever nor did I lose my sense of smell/taste.

The thing that was the hardest to deal with was the fatigue. I would debate drinking water because that meant I would have to walk to the bathroom (I have a bathroom connected to my bedroom).

It took about two weeks to recover although my cough hasn't gone away. Overall, it was awful. I'm terrified of getting sick again.

- FiboMath

Both me and my girlfriend had it. She got it first and then I got it like a couple of days later. It started with the throat not feeling right. And eventually I got a relatively mild fever. The worst part was probably the feeling that you're breathing, but your body is only getting like 70% of the oxygen it needs. Its not that I can't breathe, its just that it doesn't satisfy my body, if that makes sense.

I got all better approx. a little more than a week later. Then when I went back to work and was picking up a box of bananas to move them, my body reacted to it like I had been running on the tracks for an hour. I was beat after like one box. I move another, and I'm so tired I wanna lie down.


I told my boss I couldn't work because my body was exhausted when doing any physical work. 2 weeks after that day and I was all better.

But... something is different. I don't know if it's that my antihistamines are less effective or what it is, but sometimes it feels like I have something in my airways that needs to be cleaned or something. Like I want to cough it out cause its blocking the pipes, but its so far down, coughing doesn't help.

And also, I've had a brain fog every once in a while. More than usual. When it happens, it's like how you feel when the weed's worn off, but there's some of it in your body still. That kind of fog.

- SirMooncake

COVID Toes

Got tested only because in March upon arriving home from school 10 of my 12 roommates tested positive. I was positive but didn't even know I had it. I had some weird red bumps/dots on my toes that later became a known symptom but at the time I had no idea it was a result of COVID.

Also lost my sense of taste, but again did not know that was a symptom until after I had already recovered. I am 22 and know a lot of people my age who have tested positive, or after the fact positive on the antibody test and my experience is pretty similar with all of theirs as well

- That_guy898

120 Days Later

120+ days later and I'm still experiencing extreme fatigue, random gastro issues, heart palpitations, aches and pains, random rashes, and no doctor wants to deal with it. 🤷♀️

I'm 26 female.

- eyecontactishard


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Infamous Internet Rumors That Ended Up Being True

Reddit user strakerak asked: 'What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?'

boy playing at laptop inside room
Photo by Ludovic Toinel on Unsplash

In 2017, I returned to my office after my lunch break to hear my supervisors discussing Tom Petty. This seemed like a random topic to me until one of my supervisors told me Tom Petty had passed away. He was a huge fan of Petty and spent the next hour or so combing through the internet to get more information.

He came back into the room my other supervisor and I were working in and announced that Tom Petty wasn't dead after all. News outlets had jumped the gun to announce his death, but he was actually still alive.

The next day, I came in to find out that Tom Petty was dead; the news may have been premature, but true.

This is a classic example of the rumor being started on the internet. Sometimes, like with the news of Tom Petty's death, the rumor can run wild and appear everywhere. Other times, the rumor can be seen by just a few people and dismissed. However, a lot of times, these rumors turn out to be true.

Redditors know a lot of internet rumors that turned out to be true, and are eager to share.

It all started when Redditor strakerak asked:

"What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?"

The King Of Pop

"Michael Jackson writing the music for Sonic 3."

"He actually did, but was never credited on the game because it would breach his contract with his record label."

– -WigglyLine-

"He did the same when he appeared on The Simpsons. He appeared under a pseudonym, and the Producers said it was an impersonator."

"Only years later they confirmed it really was Michael."

"His singing voice was actually done by an impersonator, though."

– given2fly_

The Truth Comes Out

"In 1998, US Men’s National Team captain John Harkes was shockingly cut from the team right before the World Cup. The coach claimed it was because Harkes wouldn’t fit into his new preferred formation, but rumors flew on the early internet that it was actually because he had slept with his teammate Eric Wynalda’s wife. The rumor was so well-known in soccer circles that Harkes expressly denied it in his autobiography the next year."

"Fast forward 12 years to 2010 and Wynalda admits it’s true. The coach then came out and admitted it was why he dropped Harkes, but that he’d planned to keep the secret as long as Wynalda did."

– guyfromsoccer

Video Evidence

"The Tim Burton Hansel and Gretel that aired once on halloween in the 80's."

"I heard for years that it was fake but I knew it was real because my dad recorded everything in the 80s and he recorded that. We let a good friend of ours borrow it and switch it over from VHS to DVD and soon after that it made its way on to the internet , and there it is now. I know it's our copy because the tracking in the beginning is screwed up. Still have the VHS."

– Frozenthickness

"There was a similar story with a Nickelodeon movie called Cry Baby Lane. It was supposed to be so scary that Nickelodeon got complaints and denied its existence for years. Someone uploaded a taped copy to youtube about a decade ago."

– PattiAllen

The Movie Business

"That North Korea hacked Sony Pictures because of The Interview movie."

"I worked in the movie business at the time and the account managers at Sony all basically needed to get new identities as all of their personal information got leaked online."

OldMastodon5363

"My partner worked on that movie and the production bought all the crew 1 year of an identity theft tracking service."

CMV_Viremia

Keep Away From The Ears Of Kids

"Some banned episodes or scenes of cartoons."

"For example, I remember there was a Dexter’s Lab cartoon where he clones evil versions of DeDe and himself and they swear like every other word (censored of course), and people debated whether it even existed cause they only aired it like once. Now it’s pretty accessible online."

– Spledidlife

Yes, It's True

"Echelon, a massive electronic espionage system by the US and allies to intercept all electronic messages, especially emails."

"In the mid-nineties it was a topic on conspiracy BBS boards. A lot of people in my bubble at the time (mainly uni students in Europe) were including fake threats to the US in the their email signatures as a way to "protest" and "fill the system with false alarms" (obviously useless)."

"Then, in 1999-2000 came out to be true and a lot of security service agencies from UK and other US allies started to admit they were part of the espionage network."

– latflickr

How The Mighty Fell

"John Edward’s love child."

– ACam574

"A reminder that he was cheating on his wife while she was hospitalized for cancer treatment."

– Fanclock314

Ugh...

"Carrie Fisher's heart attack. Some a**hole who was on the same flight was livetweeting the whole medical emergency and justified it by insisting she was just making sure the family was informed."

– everylastlight

It Actually Happened

"Every year around her birthday there was a rumor that Betty White died. When I heard she died, I scoffed, saying that dumb rumor is back.... then saw it on the news. I was in shock."

– Known-Committee8679

"The fact that Betty died literally right before she turned 100 is such a Betty White way to go out."

– Paganigsegg

Big Actor, Small Roles

"I distinctly remember some rumors about the reason why Bruce Willis was taking so many roles in sh*tty movies before it was announced he has dementia."

– KampferMann

"RedLetterMedia did a deep dive on his recent movie activity to try and work out why exactly he was taking part in basically scam-movies. They noticed he had an earpiece in one of the scenes and joked that the director was feeding him lines. I remember they even disclaimed over the rumours at the time, and possible made a follow-up vid when it was revealed to the public."

– CardinalCreepia

What To Do Next?

"That the writer of LOST were making it up as they went."

"Turned out to be absolutely true."

– homarjr

That last one was kind of obvious!

Do you have any to add? Let us know in the comment below.

Person holding large stack of books
Photo by Jay Lamm on Unsplash

Whether you're naturally interested in fun facts and trivia or not, it's always nice to know a few that you can pull out of your pocket at a moment's notice as a nice conversation starter.

But there are some fun facts out there that are so weird, people become more preoccupied with how the teller found out that information rather than the information itself.

Redditor Dry_Bus_935 asked:

"What is your 'don't ask me how I know' random fact?"

Nuclear Fail Safe

"You have quite a lot of time, certainly more than ten seconds, to turn back on the main pumps of a nuclear reactor once you have accidentally turned them off."

- egorf

"I'm not surprised. The amount of fail safes, redundancies, and emergency scenario planning for nuclear power plants is insane."

"I toured a nuclear plant and wrote my high school senior thesis on the plans put in place to ensure the Fukushima disaster would not happen at that plant."

"I'm sure the secondary pumps are plenty capable of handling the reactor until the main pumps are repaired or just turned back on."

- Borderlandsman

Happy Cat

"If your cat chews on fresh eucalyptus, they might start hallucinating and fall over repeatedly, leading to a $400 emergency vet bill just to be told she’s just kinda high."

- oddidealstronghold

"And, that's part of why koalas love it. Little stoners."

- littlebluefoxy

Archaeology: Do Not Lick

"Old human bones are very porous, so if you lick them, they’ll stick to your tongue."

- clanculcarius

Sharing is Caring

"A pigeon will only eat a Starburst if you chew it up a little bit first. Just to clarify: chew the Starburst, not the pigeon."

- OhTheHueManatee

"Instructions unclear. Pigeon unhappy."

- Wild-Lychee-3312

Intriguing Anatomy

"Everyone is here with the creepy crime stuff, and I'm just like, 'A soft fur rat has 22 nipples.'"

- horroscoblue

"Okay, so either they have really small nipples, their nipples overlap, or they have nipples in places where there shouldn't be nipples."

"(I've never written the word 'nipples' so many times in a singular sentence before.)"

- GdeGraaf

'Don't Ask Me,' Indeed!

"Turmeric can be used as clothes dye. It is capable of permanently dyeing cotton cloth even after it has passed through the digestive tract of an adult male."

- SlefeMcDichael

"You s**t your pants, didn't you?"

- PMmecrossstitch

"I'd prefer not to answer that question."

- SlefeMcDichael

High-Risk Survival Skills

"If you ever trying to survive in the Arctic, don’t eat polar bear liver. It is so high in vitamin A, it will kill you."

- WrongWayCorrigan-361

"It's also surrounded by a lethal amount of angry polar bear."

- horanc2

Real-Life Spies

"TV shows and movies go out of their way to make military/intelligence officers look bada**."

"But real-life 'spies,' by design and training, are boring. They have regular houses and standard second-hand cars, they dress down, and they have vague, boring job titles (accounts receivable) as cover, and they do not draw attention to themselves. Most come from specialized academia."

- Ok_Worth_1093

Haunting Reality

"Your muscles can keep twitching for several hours after you die."

- JustDave62

"Also, beards can appear to grow. This is however not because the beard itself grows but because the skin shrinks."

- RRautamaa

"I worked at a morgue for over eight years. If you grasp the hand of a dead body to move the arm, the hand will grasp back, but that's just muscles and tendons reacting to the tension."

- goneferalinid

The Sneakiness of Drowning

"When a drowning victim is revived, get them to a hospital as soon as possible. Drowning is the leading cause of death of kids from the age of one to seven and is ruled as accidental drowning when it comes to secondary drowning or dry drowning."

"Basically, your lungs are full of water despite being revived. Your lungs will absorb the liquid, but not before your body acidifies from high levels of carbon dioxide. The only chance to survive is to have the lungs pumped with oxygen via CPAP machine and time."

"Also, drowning is extremely quiet. You don’t hear the victim go under. And if you see flailing, do not attempt to save the victim otherwise you’ll become another drowning victim. Throw them a lifeline and hope their amygdala realizes that a rope or something is floating near them and grabs on it."

- Dfiggsmeister

Not Everyone's Favorite Chocolate

"Hershey’s chocolate has the strong smell of vomit or feces to some people (me), and that’s because they use butyric acid as a preservative. Butyric acid is the compound that makes vomit smell so bad."

"Edit: Digging further into it, there are some claims that they may not be “adding” the butyric acid, but rather it is occurring from essentially spoiling the milk in their milk chocolate. Either way, the butyric acid and putrid smell remains a part of their product."

- hefewiseman1

"That explains the weird aftertaste I always get! I don’t smell it but their chocolate always has this super unpleasant sharp/acidic aftertaste that I find repulsive. I assume this is why!!"

- PomegranateNo975

Do Not Lick the Asbestos

"Asbestos tastes like chalk. And if you lick it, it has the texture of extremely gritty sandpaper. Which is actually the feeling of microscopic asbestos needles piercing your flesh!"

- TooYoungToBeThisOld1

Mapping Out the War

"Beginning in 1911 in anticipation of the outbreak of WW1 in 1914, two statesmen, one from England and one from France, began visiting locations in France that they believed would be the settings for a number of major battles that would occur during the great war."

"Long bike rides through these future battle zones in the countryside and weeks spent building a foundation for a French-Anglo codebook that would later prove important in helping win the war."

- fjordperfect123

Avoiding Lawsuits > Protecting Patients

"Doctors, or surgeons more specifically, that make too many mistakes during surgery, ie, leaving instruments in patients, frequently gets ‘quietly traded’ to other hospitals where they continue their path of destruction with the patients not being aware of their past record. Hospitals tend to keep quiet about the matter to avoid lawsuits."

- Kittytigris

Bonus Points: Do This While Having Lunch in Your Car

"If you overfill a fast food gravy cup and then put a lid on, it will create a pressurized gravy stream that sprays all over your face and uniform while your coworker looks on in horror."

- thechaosjester776

This subReddit thread was so a roller-coaster of random facts, we've surely all walked away learning something.

But the biggest takeaway might just be: Maybe don't lick so many things.

Shocked woman covering her mouth
vaitheeswaran Nataraj/Unsplash

When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.

But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.

Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.

It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.

Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:

"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"

These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.

Bleeding Out

"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."

"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."

– DongLaiCha

Tragic News

"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."

– accountnameredacted

Bottom Of The Barrel

"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."

– Crotch-Monster

A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.

Like Father, Like Son

"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."

– psycospaz

Busted

"Flashing blue lights."

– FiddleOfGold

"This sobered me up just thinking about it."

– redmaple_syrup

Losing Sight

"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."

– MissHibernia

Quitting The Bottle

"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."

– omgtater

These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.

Unplanned House Guests

"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."

– Oneinsevenbillion75

Serious Health Warning

"Elevated liver enzymes."

"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."

"So I opted for recovery, instead."

"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."

– Far_Meal8674

The Joyride

"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."

– foxfood9116

The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?

How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.

But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.

Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.

Woman holding multiple shopping bags
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.

Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.

These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.

From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.

Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:

"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"

"Tale As Old As Time..."

"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","

"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."

"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."

"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."

"Lol!"

"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom

"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."

"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."

"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."

"I think he was a germaphobe."

"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."

"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."

"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.

"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."

"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."

"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000

Money Burn GIF by nog Giphy

Who Wore It Better?

"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."

"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."

"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."

"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'

"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"

"No."- mertsey627

Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...

"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."

"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."

"It was very low key."

"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."

"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."

"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."

"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."

"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa

south park wedding GIF Giphy

See You In Court!

"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."

'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."

"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."

"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."

"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."

"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin

It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!

"I work in a public library."

"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."

"A popular book that just came out."

"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."

"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten

A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!

"My own."

"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"

"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."

"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"

"Unacceptable!"

"This shall not stand!"

"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."

"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."

"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."

"I got over it."- DeathGrover

homer simpson episode 23 GIF Giphy

Holy Matrimony!

"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."

"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."

"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."

"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."

"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."

"It's just a party."

"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree

When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...

"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore

In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...

"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."

"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."

"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."

"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."

"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."

"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."

"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."

"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."

"We don’t offer wrapping services."

"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."

'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae

Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso Giphy

Happiest Place On Earth!

"I used to work for Disney."

"That in itself should tell you everything."

"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."

"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."

"Suddenly got worse huh?"

"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."

"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."

"I'm not kidding."

"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."

"My wife worked booking."

"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."

"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."

"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."

"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."

"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."

"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong

Disney World GIF Giphy

The horror!

Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!

It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...

Said absolutely no one.