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AIBU?

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To think you can drink tap water in a 1st world country!

284 replies

Drowninginconfusion · 13/07/2025 22:10

My OH will not drink tap water and it drives me insane. He just drove 20 minutes home at 10pm because he left half a bottle of water on the side at home and no shops are open and in his words ‘I take my water seriously’

I think the reason it drives me insane is because the reason he won’t drink it is because of the hormones etc in it but yet he has spent his whole life being obese. He goes through intense phases of working out and eating really well and loses weight but ultimately he is still obese and thinks that the one time he got to 17st is some sort of achievement that he needs to tell me about allllllll the time. He drives without a seatbelt on, he took pretty hard drugs as a young man and has always drunk alcohol (although he barely does these things now) I think another reason is that he constantly watches strong men / sports personalities talking about their workouts and nutrition and he insists on telling me about things that I have no interest in and have told him as much - after many years of politely saying ‘ooh interesting’ whilst secretly thinking ‘I bet you weren’t thinking about the processed meats giving you cancer when you ate your McDonalds wrap for breakfast 😡’ or ‘I’m 9 years older than you and manage to get more done in any given day than you do despite the fact that I’m not interested in an ice bath’ I know there’s no link to obesity from tap water but Jesus Christ something has to kill you! I doubt it will be the rusty pipes or hormones in the water! He had the audacity to ask me if I felt comfortable eating a sweetie the other day (not fat shaming me, I’m not fat, more that he wanted to make the point that there were no ingredients on the wrapper, pretty sure there were no ingredients on the sweet and sour chicken from the Chinese that he ate last night either 🤪)

I also know lots of you are going to tell me to get a grip and let him live as he pleases but if you had to listen to him go on and on about it whilst he’s sat there sweating and needing 400 bowel movements a day you would find it a hard pill to swallow.

Do you drink tap water? AIBU to think that in an emergency a bit of tap water isn’t going to kill you!

OP posts:
minnienono · 13/07/2025 22:56

@Devilsmommy I prefer hard water area water, drink it all the time

StarDolphins · 13/07/2025 22:55

Tap water tastes awful but bottled water isn’t good either. What about a filter jug?

SilenceOfTheTimTams · 13/07/2025 22:55

Tap water is purer than bottled water. Microbial contamination in water stored in bottles is far higher than in the mains supply.

ChocolateGanache · 13/07/2025 22:54

Devilsmommy · 13/07/2025 22:38

If you live in a hard water area then no you can't drink it, well unless you filter it first. It won't kill you once in a blue moon though. Does he drink milk at all? If yes, ask him why he can accept all the hormones in that but not water😂 he sounds very conflicted with his healthy living whilst being obese

Bonkers.

Drowninginconfusion · 13/07/2025 22:54

mindyourhead78 · 13/07/2025 22:45

I don't like tap water as I can't stand the taste it makes me gag but I can drink bottled water. So at home I add squash🤷‍♀️

To be fair so do I, I don’t drink much water but lots of sugar free squash so it’s almost as good isn’t it? I hope so anyway!

OP posts:
FlayOtters · 13/07/2025 22:53

why the fuck doesn't he wear a seatbelt?? what a moron of the first degree.

Drowninginconfusion · 13/07/2025 22:52

clary · 13/07/2025 22:45

If you live in a hard water area then no you can't drink it, well unless you filter it first.

Wait what? In Derbyshire our water is very hard (limescale galore) and of course you can drink it! It tastes just fine!

OP I agree that there are other issues here beyond the water. And what do you mean he doesn't wear a seatbelt? Has he been ticketed for that? Why doesn't he?

He just doesn’t wear one, I don’t know what to tell you other than that. I hate it and tell him all the time, he has never been stopped for it. Maybe if he received a fine he would start wearing one but they must not notice when he drives past. It’s weird I know, I was just using it as an example of how much he is picking and choosing certain things to be interested in and go on about so to speak.

OP posts:
MrsMoastyToasty · 13/07/2025 22:52

I would drink tap water over bottled water in the UK for 2 reasons.

  1. The unit cost for tap water is approximately £3 per cubic metre (ie 1000 litres). The same £3 would only buy you 2 litres of bottled water.
  2. The number of regulations governing the production and supply of tap water far exceed the number of regulations for bottled water.
LowDownBoyStandUpGuy · 13/07/2025 22:52

I pretty much only drink tap water I would only drink bottled if I forgot my water bottle that I fill up at home, drinking regularly out of plastic bottles must be worse for you than anything to do with tap water.

Tbh I think you have bigger problems than the water issue though with him.

ChocolateGanache · 13/07/2025 22:52

Blueuggboots · 13/07/2025 22:29

Tap water is fine. The plastic waste from thousands of water bottles is not..

This.

Although, speaking as a Londoner I love MY my tap water but can find it tastes horrendous in other soft water areas - even if your skin & hair do feel softer 😆

Devilsmommy · 13/07/2025 22:51

BMW6 · 13/07/2025 22:47

WTF are you on about!

I live in a very hard water area and took part in clinical trials regarding Osteoporosis. They told me I had excellent bone density BECAUSE I drink tap water in my area!

Who says you can't drink it??? Who says it needs to be filtered first???

As for only drinking it once in a blue moon I've been drinking pints of it every day for 67 years!

Have you been smoking crack?

I'm in a very hard water area and the water tastes absolutely awful. Maybe some areas aren't as bad as that

BMW6 · 13/07/2025 22:50

OP sorry to say but your husbands a Numpty

daisydotss · 13/07/2025 22:48

I’m in Scotland and hate the taste after being pregnant two years ago! Would he use a Brita water filter jug? My husband is also now converted!

Drowninginconfusion · 13/07/2025 22:48

Devilsmommy · 13/07/2025 22:38

If you live in a hard water area then no you can't drink it, well unless you filter it first. It won't kill you once in a blue moon though. Does he drink milk at all? If yes, ask him why he can accept all the hormones in that but not water😂 he sounds very conflicted with his healthy living whilst being obese

Oh that’s another ballgame altogether. We drink lactose free milk because he ‘might’ be lactose intolerant. He hasn’t had any tests and he still needs the toilet 5-6 times a day despite cutting out lactose almost entirely. He hasn’t seen a doctor about this but just in case we drink milk that’s twice the price of cows milk 😂

OP posts:
BMW6 · 13/07/2025 22:47

Devilsmommy · 13/07/2025 22:38

If you live in a hard water area then no you can't drink it, well unless you filter it first. It won't kill you once in a blue moon though. Does he drink milk at all? If yes, ask him why he can accept all the hormones in that but not water😂 he sounds very conflicted with his healthy living whilst being obese

WTF are you on about!

I live in a very hard water area and took part in clinical trials regarding Osteoporosis. They told me I had excellent bone density BECAUSE I drink tap water in my area!

Who says you can't drink it??? Who says it needs to be filtered first???

As for only drinking it once in a blue moon I've been drinking pints of it every day for 67 years!

Have you been smoking crack?

belladeli · 13/07/2025 22:46

Hormones in tap water?!?! Really?

he's not wrong about that bit, we were told that at school

www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jun/02/water-system-toxic-contraceptive-pill

Ponderingwindow · 13/07/2025 22:46

Flint, Michigan

Aside from isolated horror stories, I drink more when my water tastes better. That is why I filter my tap water.

Drowninginconfusion · 13/07/2025 22:46

frozendaisy · 13/07/2025 22:36

why do you secretly think thoughts just say them

Haha I do sometimes believe me. It’s hard to articulate just how condescending I think it is for a man that’s out of shape to say the least to tell me (a healthy, slim, active, working, mum of 4) about carcinogenics and bio hacking and all the other stuff that he prattles on about when he’s falling asleep on the sofa and moaning about his body etc etc.

OP posts:
mindyourhead78 · 13/07/2025 22:45

I don't like tap water as I can't stand the taste it makes me gag but I can drink bottled water. So at home I add squash🤷‍♀️

clary · 13/07/2025 22:45

If you live in a hard water area then no you can't drink it, well unless you filter it first.

Wait what? In Derbyshire our water is very hard (limescale galore) and of course you can drink it! It tastes just fine!

OP I agree that there are other issues here beyond the water. And what do you mean he doesn't wear a seatbelt? Has he been ticketed for that? Why doesn't he?

hellohellohellohelo · 13/07/2025 22:45

Devilsmommy · 13/07/2025 22:38

If you live in a hard water area then no you can't drink it, well unless you filter it first. It won't kill you once in a blue moon though. Does he drink milk at all? If yes, ask him why he can accept all the hormones in that but not water😂 he sounds very conflicted with his healthy living whilst being obese

Why on earth can’t you drink water in a hard water area??

Drowninginconfusion · 13/07/2025 22:42

ArabiattaPrawn · 13/07/2025 22:33

Obviously drinking tap water is fine. Sounds like there are far bigger problems in your relationship than the water he drinks though.

Also why the hell is he not wearing a seatbelt in a car?

There are and that’s probably why I needed to vent and why it makes me irrationally angry. I don’t know why, he’s large so probably uncomfortable but also seems to think he’s invincible? It’s so hypocritical though! I won’t drink tap water but I’ll risk my life in the roads 3 times a day!

OP posts:
Magnificentkitteh · 13/07/2025 22:41

I thought bottled water was worth for your health because of chemicals leeching from the plastic

EveSix · 13/07/2025 22:39

This drives me nuts. Lots of the kids in my class will bring in a new little plastic bottle of water every damn day instead of buying a reusable bottle to fill up from our perfectly usable classroom tap. The other week I snapped and gave the class the task of calculating the approximate volume of plastic bottles brought in by the most persistent offenders each school day over the course of this academic year. They were shocked to realise those bottles would fill the entire classroom from floor to ceiling.
Our school water is absolutely fine.

Devilsmommy · 13/07/2025 22:38

If you live in a hard water area then no you can't drink it, well unless you filter it first. It won't kill you once in a blue moon though. Does he drink milk at all? If yes, ask him why he can accept all the hormones in that but not water😂 he sounds very conflicted with his healthy living whilst being obese