AITJ for distancing myself after my drunk cousin randomly texted me to mock my mental health?
My cousin Chloe (20F) and I (19F) have always been very close. Because of our closeness, she knows a lot about my personal life, including my past struggles with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and panic attacks. While I’ve been doing okay and managing well lately, it’s something I was comfortable sharing with her in confidence.
A few weeks ago, Chloe was having a rough night due to some major arguments and marital problems with her husband. Out of nowhere, she got heavily drunk and sent me a series of messages. In the texts, she was literally laughing at me, calling me pathetic for having mental health issues, and saying I have a very weak mind. She followed it up by bragging about how strong her own mind is compared to mine.
I was completely blindsided and hurt. I didn't pick a fight, but I decided then and there that I couldn't maintain the same level of closeness with her. I haven't cut her off completely, I'll still be polite at general family events but I stopped texting her daily, sharing personal things, or hanging out.
Chloe recently noticed the distance and confronted me. When I brought up the text, she brushed them off, saying she was just drunk, upset about her husband, and taking her frustration out on the wrong person. She claims I'm being petty for holding drunk texts against her and ruining our closeness over a mistake made during a hard night.
I feel for what she's going through with her marriage, but I don't feel comfortable being close to someone who uses my past struggles as ammunition when she's upset. AITJ?
TL;DR: My cousin got drunk while fighting with her husband and randomly sent me abusive texts mocking my past anxiety struggles and calling me "weak-minded." I pulled back from our closeness to protect my boundaries, but now she claims I'm being petty for holding drunk texts against her.
Posted Jul 27, 2026, 7:15 AM UTC