Woman throwing booze-free anniversary bash for parents leaves internet torn

Commenters were left conflicted after one Reddit user explained why they refuse to serve alcohol at their parents’ 50th anniversary party.

In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/EtherealEagle1776 (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said they “don’t believe” in drinking and detailed the heated aftermath of their decision not to provide adult beverages on the day of the celebration.

Titled, “[Would I be the a**hole] for not serving alcohol at my parents’ 50th anniversary party?” the post has received nearly 4,000 upvotes and 2,000 comments in the last day.

“The party is this weekend, so I’ve been prepping for it this whole week,” OP began. “So far, 40 people have RSVPed.”

Continuing to explain that they are “paying for everything,” the original poster said they offered to do all of the work and were having great success in doing so, until their sister caught wind of their plan to keep the celebration completely booze-free.

“I want this to be a dry event. My husband and I don’t believe in drinking alcohol, and we don’t want to pay for other people to drink,” OP wrote.

“My sister says that people will expect alcohol at an event like this, but…I don’t see how my refusal to buy alcohol will stop people from having a good time,” OP continued. “She got really mad when I put my foot down, and said that the party will flop without the social lubrication of alcohol.”

Despite the potentially harmful effects of consuming alcohol—and the physical and mental health benefits associated with sobriety, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that nearly 70 percent of adults in the United States drink regularly.

And when it comes to social events, there is often added pressure to pick up a beer, cocktail or glass of wine, as well as a much greater acceptance of drinking in general.

For those who abstain from alcohol, however, navigating the murky waters between drinkers and non-drinkers can be difficult.

Members of Reddit’s r/AmITheA**hole forum were torn after one Redditor explained why they won’t be serving alcohol at their parents’ upcoming anniversary celebration.
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Across the country, partying and drinking are synonymous and as a result, the concept of a “dry event” is foreign to many and throughout the comment section of the viral Reddit post, Redditors were adamant that guests will expect for alcohol to be available at the anniversary celebration, and called out the original poster for “forcing” their beliefs about alcohol onto unknowing attendees.

“I agree with your sister. It is expected,” Redditor u/WaywardPrincess1025 wrote in the post’s top comment, which has received more than 8,000 upvotes. “My judgment is [you’re the a**hole] for insisting on a dry event.

“It’s pretty much as if you were vegan and they weren’t and you had a vegan event,” they added. “It’s fine if you don’t want to spend your money on meat, but you can’t stop other people from bringing it.”

Redditor u/ommnian, whose comment has received more than 2,000 upvotes, offered a potential solution to the original poster, but took issue with the need for special accommodations in the first place.

“BYOB and have coolers for people with some pop and juice and things,” they wrote. “But if you’re absolutely insisting that it’s a ‘dry’ event, just because you don’t believe in drinking? But you parents don’t mind drinking, and most of their friends drink? Then yeah. [You’re the a**hole].”

“I’m not a big fan of forcing your own beliefs on others,” Redditor u/Nishi621 added, receiving more than 3,000 upvotes. “Your sister is right, people will probably expect something.”

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