AITA for drinking fruit juice when my partner doesn't like it?

Originally posted by user No-Mall1172 in r/ AmItheAsshole

Original: July 7, 2025

Update: in post itself

Status: no further updates from OOP

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Original: AITA for drinking fruit juice when my partner has said he doesn't like it?

Let me give you some background. I (26F) have been drinking diluted summer fruits juice all my life because I hate drinking water. When I do try drinking water I physically wretch due to the anxiety it gives me trying to drink it. So I stay hydrated by drinking diluted cordial.

When I met my current partner (34M, let's call him Jim) I was drinking 30% cordial 70% water, which I admit now was strong.

About 6 months into my relationship with Jim, he confessed he didn't like me drinking the juice because it made my breath smell bad (of the juice), it stopped me trying new foods and it stopped us from travelling cheap because we would have to pay for baggage just so I can take the juice on holiday.

He even compared it to an addiction and how he was able to quit smoking so I can quit this. We decided to compromise and 1 year later I had reduced it down to 5% cordial. I was able to take my juice in mini aeroplane bottles and I had to admit I was tasting food better.

However Jim was still not happy and we keep getting into fights about how 'disgusting' it is and it is putting him off wanting to kiss me. I can't even have other fruit flavoured drinks because Jim says it smells and tastes too similar.

So I tried to give it up for him. It has been a month of attempting to drink sugar water. I am getting panic attacks and dehydrated because I'm not drinking enough. I am considering going back to the cordial because of this but I am worried I'd be letting myself and Jim down.

AITA for wanting to drink fruit juice or do I need to keep pushing?

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Comments:

Comment1: You should really clarify what cordial is where you are. It seems like it's an alcoholic thing in the US but in many other places, it's just concentrated fruit juice.
ESH.
He's weird and controlling. You can drink what you like. Brush your teeth, use gum/mints, mouthwash - lots of solutions if he doesn't like the way it makes your breath smell.
But you do sound weirdly addicted. You're getting panic attacks because you can't have cordial? And why are you taking it on holiday with you? Can't you buy juice in whatever place you're visiting? That's nuts, sorry. If he's annoyed by that, I can hardly blame him.

Comment2: If she drinks the summer fruits cordial, and she refers to it as "juice" she is most likely in the UK - this specific drink doesn't have sugar in it and it's not actual juice. Just to clarify. The summer fruits is a specific flavour.
You mix a small bit of it with water. Like 5% and 95% water. Also, this drink does give me a bit of odd taste in my mouth if I drink it often over a few days, I think it's the artificial sweetener causing it.

Comment3: ESH
If the thought of drinking water makes you retch, you need to see a doctor.
If the thought of kissing someone who drank fruit juice makes him sick, he needs to see a doctor.
And he's a control freak

Comment4: And a dentist. Maybe he doesn't want to kiss her because her teeth are fucked from literally never drinking anything without sugar or acid.
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Comment5: Yeah that will fuck up the bacteria in your mouth and shift the balance so I fully believe that their mouth would taste disgusting.
It's like how after drinking your mouth tastes gross because the dehydration and alcohol fuck up the bacteria and cause certain groups to grow out of control for a bit, making your mouth taste gross.

Comment6: Needing to bring EXTRA BAGGAGE on vacation just to be able to bring juice with you is fucking nuts. This post is insane. There are so many options beside cordial? Like wtf is going on here?

Comment7: Just out of curiosity, have you ever been tested for diabetes? You mention drinking only sugary drinks, and diabetes can cause your breath to smell like fruity acetone. Has he ever described it that way?

Comment8: ESH. You really need to see someone if you can't even tolerate water without gagging and are now trying to drink sugar water because you can't mix it with juice. There are a number of reasons this is beyond unhealthy.
Your BF sucks for being controlling, but to a degree I don't blame him. I would have just left though, instead of acting the way he is.

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Update

I have seen a few people not understand what I mean by 'cordial' in the UK it is concentrated fruit juice that is diluted with water- it is not alcohol. Also the juice 'smells' to Jim because of the artificial sugar that's usually put into cordial.

As for the situation, I know it seems like a strange situation to many of you, my parents were soft and let me have whatever I wanted- which has come to bite me in the ass. I realise I have some psychological issues regarding water, I know it is not normal to wretch at water.

A lot of you have said I should dump 'jim' but I feel like I shouldn't until I have dealt with this issue.

I talked to him about how much anxiety this has been causing me and my craving to go back to the juice. We ended up agreeing that we will go to a doctor together and he wants to support me getting used to water, even if it means going back to juice for while. I don't want to throw away a relationship with Jim, just because of my weird psychological problem.

Thank you everyone for your messages.

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