Has anyone ever actually called a friend at 3am?

[BathroomShales]

We’re often told on MN that unless a friend will pick up the phone and support you at 3am, they aren’t really a friend. It’s just superficial.

But has anyone ever actually called a friend at 3am for support?

Also, assuming it must be something pretty serious for a 3am call. If so, I’d probably help out an acquaintance if they called at that time too.

It’s a load of bollocks isn’t it? And what’s wrong with a few superficial friendships if you’re getting good craic from them?

AIBU?

I have three friends who I call my 4am friends. I’ve called one of them in the early hours. It helps that we’re all insomniacs.

We had a call off a friend last year at 4am. I was her birth partner, waters had broken.

Yes, they were my birth partner and I had gone into labour!

I answered a 2am call last year from an old friend I wouldn’t ordinarily expect to hear from in the middle of the night. I was up feeding my newborn anyway so I decided to pick up in case he was in trouble and trying to get hold of anyone who would answer.

He was steaming drunk, on holiday and had decided to ring me to see how I was because his wife had had PND and he wanted to make sure I was feeling okay 🙈 he texted me the next morning to ask what he’d said because he saw my name in his call log and had no recollection of the conversation 😂

Poor execution, but I did appreciate the sentiment.

Not 3am but I once phoned a friend quite late at night because 111 were sending me to A&E because they thought I had an ectopic pregnancy and I was panicking. I'd already lost one pregnancy a year or so previously and I was really upset thinking I might be losing another. It wasn't an ectopic pregnancy, and she stayed with me for ages until I told her she should go home because she was shattered and had to drive. I could walk from the hospital to my flat in around 15 minutes. I phoned in sick to work as I was finally allowed to go home around 6am and was in no fit state to work. It was quite nice walking home at that time, although it was January.

Twice.
Both for emergencies when I needed dh to take me in to hospital (well, one was childbirth).

Never 'just for a natter'.
But unfortunately, I have been to more than one funeral of people who have taken their own life, and, quite frankly, if having someone to talk to at 3am would have in any way helped, then I would have been glad to have taken calls.

I know my adult ds has taken a call from his friend at that time, when his friend was in a particularly bad way. In that moment, it was massive, for his friend.

That would piss me off. A cheating husband is hardly a bloody life or death emergency.

Yes. My best friend is my sister and I have called her in the early hours a few times over the years.

Seriously? Her life as she knew it had just fallen apart

You sound delightful.

Have phones dhs best friend at the back of 3 once when I haemorrhaged at 30 weeks, he was at my house within 3 minutes (bloody lucky he was a fireman). I would only do so in an absolute emergency. If one of my friends called at 3am it would genuinely worry me as its so unheard of.

I rang my best friend at that sort of time when I'd walked out of my marriage and didn't know what to do next. Luckily he heard and answered. If he hadn't he would still have been my best friend, just not heard the phone.

I will take calls at any time of the day or night from my adult children. I know them well enough to know if they call me at 2am, there’s a very good reason for it.

Delightful or not, I’ve been there and it isn’t life or death.

Same. I honestly can’t imagine what couldn’t wait until 6am to call about, break up wise

I rang a friend at 2:30/3am once as I'd just had my heart broken for the first time. We were 21 so who needed sleep anyway?

My best friend called me early morning when her husband died she was distraught and I got my coat and went round still in my jammies.

ive also called said friend early doors think it was 5am forgetting it was that time to ask for her recipe on focaccia but she was already up thankfully.

we then would call each other at that time cos we’d be up anyways blethering having our first coffee of the day.

I called my friend at around 3am in the morning to rescue me from the elephant on top of my wardrobe after drinking too much absinthe. She came round and removed the imaginary elephant. Now that friend.

My phone is permanently on silent except my son & my dad so I doubt I would pick up but of course if I had a call from anyone at 3am I would help them.

Not everything has to be life or death to feel like an emergency to the person experiencing it.

It really is

Exactly this. Too many people seem to judge situations on wether it is literally life or death. Things can be really really bad and serious and important and need immediate attention without them being potentially fatal.

Yes but we’re not talking about them, we’re talking about the person who gets woken up. I’ve got a drama queen friend who would think her period pain feels like life and death, she still shouldn’t call me at 3am
about it.

I once rang my friend at about 1:30/2am after my ex had pushed me against a wall, screamed in my face and thrown his shoes at me (I still have no idea why) She got to me in record time, took me to hers and just sat with me while I cried.

I have received a phone call for emergency childcare at 1am.
I rang my friend when I went into labour, in the early hours. She was and wasnt expecting it, she had offered to help - baby came 4 weeks early!