Everybody makes mistakes, and it’s unreasonable to expect anyone to be perfect. Human error is natural; we just have to do our best to learn from our mistakes and try to avoid making any that will have irreversible consequences. Unfortunately, however, many of us have made a decision or two that we greatly regret and would take back in a heartbeat if we could.

Reddit users have recently been opening up about the worst mistakes they’ve ever made, so we’ve gathered some of their most heartbreaking stories below. From getting terrible injuries to severing important relationships, these recollections might not be easy to read, but they’re important reminders to think before we speak and act.

#1

Took an antibiotic for a possible infection I never had to begin with that the doctor gave me. Didn’t realize the medication was banned in certain countries and has a black box warning. Doc called a week later after I had taken it for 6 days and says I actually didn’t have an infection. Antibiotics were never necessary. I now am disabled and have full body small fiber neuropathy from it among other things at 25 years old. It affects my vision, bladder, muscles, walking, etc. nerve damage all over. Had this for 2 years now, life is a struggle unfortunately.

Image credits: Magnifnik0

#2

Got stuck on my balcony before work one morning. Door latched as I shut it. Was approximately 6 feet off ground, so I decided to jump off. Landed on my feet. Grass was wet, feet slipped...

Fractured three vertebrae, spent nine months in a hospital bed.

Image credits: tastyNips

#3

I jumped in the shallow side of the pool. Was drinking and thought it was the deep end. Tried to do a front flip and smacked my head on the bottom. Came up reaching for my head and my face flopped into my hand. I quickly held it in place against my skull and got out of the pool. We wrapped my head in a towel and I threw up. The ambulance was there within 10 minutes. They sent 2 ambulances and a fire truck and there were 10+ responders. I think they might have been bored and wanted to see the carnage lol. Anyways at the hospital my neck started hurting and they did a scan X-ray and nothing was broken, however my face was spilt from the bridge of my nose straight up my forehead then goes to the left a couple inches. Ended up getting 20 stitches to hold my forehead together and 20 staples on my head. Healed pretty good. Now I just have a scar people are scared to ask me about. I'm extremely lucky, I was able to walk out and go home about four of five hours later. I've heard so many stories since this happened to me and now I am extra cautious around pools. So yeah don't dive drunk.

Image credits: d3athr1d3r

#4

I skipped a class for organic chemistry in college before finals. Didn't get the memo that final exams would be given in a different room. Showed up 45 minutes late and my professor wouldn't let me in. I failed the class and nearly failed out of college that semester, I was on academic probation after that.

Image credits: rpm12390

#5

Mistaking long term coworkers as friends. They are not.

Image credits: SmileBulky2705

#6

When I was a kid we used to ride our bikes to the top of a hill and peddle as fast as we could down to the beginning of a sidewalk that was pushed up by tree roots and we would hit super sick jumps off them. No helmet. My bikes front wheel and handle bars became loose from the abuse and when I landed my handles were straight but the wheel sent me right into a tree. Went over the handle bars head first and hit the tree. Knocked out cold. From what people tell me my personality changed as did my penmanship, grades and everything.

Image credits: Legitimate_Dare6684

#7

I worked at a Marine Mammal Rescue Center in Alaska.

It could be really fun and rewarding, but the work itself was *anything* but glamarous.

During the training, we were told emphatically "when approaching a rehabbing sea lion from the front, you have to hold your breath until you can get to the side - their breath will knock you out." We laughed but the teacher said "oh I'm not kidding"

Should have taken it more seriously...

My first week there, I approach a sea lion we're rehabbing and when I'm about 5 feet away, it opened its mouth wider than my head and let out a 4-second-long belch, as sea lions are known to do.

I immediately fell to the ground puking. Couldn't think straight for 2 minutes and felt nauseous most of the rest of the day, and had to go home early.

**Still** feel sick thinking of it.

Image credits: dry6f

#8

Not watching a movie with my dad before he died from cancer.

My dad was months into his chemo treatments at this point, and he just asked me one day if I wanted to watch some old movies with him for a bit. I declined and said I needed to work on school stuff. I was living at home at the time, and I was taking about 15 hours of classes, so I was generally busy, but not then. It tore me apart to see my dad that way. The d***s had been rough on him, and it pained me to see him like that. My dad passed maybe a month or two later, and it is still to this day my biggest regret. We both loved movies, and I would give anything to go back and watch anything with him. I still randomly have moments of despair thinking about it, and I know he would not want me to continue beating myself up, but it's hard.

Don't have regrets like me. Spend those precious moments with your loved ones.

Image credits: Guy_Fawkz

#9

Petsitting for a pet fox.

I pet-sit for a living and came across an opportunity to get 10x the money one weekend by petsitting for a pet fox while the owners were on vacation.

It *was* super cute, but now it's a year later, and my car **still** smells like fox.

No idea how that's even possible, the fox was never in the car.

Can't take friends on rides anymore :(.

Image credits: tyneri

#10

Got offered an internal promotion for double salary job as a javascript developer (I was PHP mainly at time) at UK FTSE 100 company and declined because I was humble about my skills/didn't want to cause issues.

Now I'm 8 years wiser and realise no one knows what they're doing and I would've been fine with 20 hours on udemy.

Image credits: jhgordy

#11

I made many mistakes growing up, but here’s one that stands out the most.

In early high school, I hurt people emotionally through targeted bullying and social exclusion. I was picked on for many years prior to this, so it was mostly redirected anger. I hated the world and most of the people around me.

However, this changed during the later years of high school and I started accepting people and vice versa. I’m not sure how this came about. I’m in my thirties now and a completely different person. I get emotional thinking of all the times I’ve made people’s lives hell for no reason, and it’s hard to forgive myself for it.

If you are going or went through a tough time in school as a result of bullying, I’d like to apologise on behalf of the bullies. Most of them will certainly regret it at some point.

#12

Driving drunk... Blacked out... Car totalled by train.

Don't drink and drive.

Image credits: MiliTerry

#13

Bring on a sleazy business partner whose shenanigans put me under.

Even twenty-five years later, if he stepped in front of my car, I wouldn't even think of tapping the brakes.

Image credits: AnybodySeeMyKeys

#14

Trusting the wrong person with important secrets.

Image credits: Ok_Composer_6652

#15

Talking to police without a lawyer. Don’t do that, kids….

Image credits: dick-nipples

#16

Insisted my fiancé and I should take a cruise together when she wanted to stay home. She had a polyp which was bothering her nasal passage.

Turns out it wasn't a polyp, but rhabdomyosarcoma. Diagnosis was further delayed due to COVID, costing her her life.

Image credits: alduin_no

#17

Dorky guy in our graphics lab at school was trying to convince us to buy Apple stock as we struggled with our POS PowerPC 6300s. "No man, they're rehiring the CEO they fired! He started the company, he's like...visionary! He's gonna resurrect them!". Riiiiiight.

Image credits: sightlab

#18

I found a four bedroom house for $700k in my college town in California back in....2018 I wanna say? Debated buying it and putting in $50k for work then renting it out. Ultimately allowed myself to get talked out of it by friends and family.

House is now worth $2m. And average rents are $3K a month. Now I'm still renting with housing prices over $1m and interest rates at 7%.

#19

Not going to the doctor when I should have. I noticed that I was having issues standing up. I thought that now that I'm in my 30s. This is normal. Months go by and not only was I having trouble trying to stand up. My left hip and leg was hurting like hell with every step.

I decided to keep working because I lived alone at the time and I had to make bills. After 8 months of suffering and pain. Climbing on and off a forklift. I had enough. Every step I was fighting a tear from shedding.

After a month of x-rays and MRIs the doctor's found it. A tumor had made itself a unwanted guest on my spine and it was pinching a cluster of nerves. This was in 2021 and covid was in full swing. When the doctor told me they had to do emergency surgery. Part of me was to scared to say yes. The other part of me was ready to get this over with and not be in pain anymore. I'm grateful that half won.

They got the tumor out. It was benign. So I didn't have to worry about cancer. They also told me that if I waited any longer. I would have been paralyzed from the wast down on my left side.

I'm dyslexic and have a hard time reading. So I never went to school after high-school. All I've ever known was working physical labor jobs. I love working with my hands. Now I have to stand and sit at random times. I have can't walk to far without a walking stick. Even with that. I'm limited on how far I can walk. Sitting in a vehicle, and getting in and out of them is painful.

The only thing that make me happy is my motorcycle. The seat was custom made for my nerve pain. So it doesn't hurt to sit in it. But as of now. I have no sorce of income. My insurance on my bike has lapsed. Now all I have is VRChat. I am a extroverted person. So sitting at home all day is driving me mad. I take medication for the pain. But it doesn't get rid of it completely. It just dulls it some.

Because I didn't go to the doctor when I needed to I'm now jobless. I lost the home I was renting. I have no sorce of income. I can't ride my bike. I can't do office work because of my dyslexia (I have tried just to try and make some money). I'm trying to get on disability. But the government is dragging there feet on it. Even with a layer. I'm useless. I'm jobless. No women will talk to me.

My life is a lonely hell just because I didn't go to the doctor when my body told me to.

#20

I inherited 150,000$ at 18 and blew it all on d***s and stupid things.

#21

Move into a house my mil owns. It’s been a f*****g nightmare & we are stuck here bc we can’t afford to move out. And she won’t f*****g fix anything most of the time.

#22

Quitting college to take a management promotion at my fast food job.

Image credits: emilyholt31

#23

I let go someone who was really good for me because of chronic depression and insecurities and now here I am, alone because of it.

Image credits: TrixieLurker

#24

When I was 14? Maybe? I went to use the bathroom, like any normal time. I pissed, wiped, flushed, washed my hands, and walked back to my room. Now this toilet has a habit of making that noise toilets make after you flush, but for about 2 minutes longer than normal. Nothing ever happened, till that night when my brother came running into my room telling me the whole living room and hallways was flooding and the toilet is overflowing and won’t stop running. I walked out my room to see my mom freaking out. Now for some context, my family is lower class/ middle class. My parents worked and they owned the home so we were lucky to have a roof to live under but we never had extra money to go out to eat or go to movies or even vacations. We always ate very basic and easy meals so my parents could afford the home and bills. I never even left my home state till I was 16 almost 17. My father also has a massive spending problem which leaves money very tight for my family. This was almost 9 years ago mind you.

Seeing the way my mom was reacting, seeing her crying and on her knees and begging for life to just stop being s****y for her, left a permanent image in my head. The only other time I’ve seen my mom cry like this was christmas time (December 23, 2023) and that was being my dad left a [self-exit] note and took off. My mother was broken and that moment will forever haunt me. (He’s still alive, found him in time)

Now the whole house was soaked and flooding and my mom was freaking trying to turn the water off and get the shop-vac to suck up the water and crying and saying how she doesn’t know where she’s going to get the money to fix this and trying to figure out what bills she can push to pay for this. Yeah I never told her or fessed up to it. They think it was older brother and I let them think it. It stills haunts me and makes me want to cry thinking of her reaction to it.

#25

Giving all my best in my last company, had almost no much social life, I was a workaholic , I was like the best developer, thinking it would all result to sth eventually got laid off ??.

#26

Oh, that's easy—trying to microwave a metal bowl. Spoiler alert: it does not end well.

Image credits: BrilliantEgg2933

#27

Talked a little about this in other posts, but my decision to stay and try to help my mom.


After my grandmother died my cousin and I were set to inherit a house, but we gave our halves to her. At the time I was living in Europe, in Budapest, for 3.5 years. I was so close to residency. Then I saw she was having trouble financially when I came to visit for a family reunion. I had a return ticket, my jobs, but I f*****g stayed because I felt bad.


We set agreements, that I would pay half of everything and then later give her a bit extra so I can save to help my fiance come here. That in order for this to work, I'd like to live in the house so I'm not paying rent somewhere plus half of the bills (and I wanted to be around the dogs, which I also take care of). Then she took advantage of this by buying more things and investing in the house, which she agreed to sell because she can't afford it without someone helping her.


Immediately after I didn't have a way back, things changed. She hated my now ex partner and would demand time and time again we break up, even though she was nothing but kind to her. She decided she wanted more money immediately. She has threatened to kill herself by putting a gun to her head, pushed me, hit me, tried to choke me, because she would start conflicts and not let me walk away, or didn't like what I had to say. She's tried to cut me off from other parts of the family that know and want to help me.


I lost everything because of this decision, but I'm slowly rebuilding, and I think next year I'll be able to find my way back, maybe to Prague this time, or back to Budapest. I don't know, I just want the life I had back, and this time she won't get to be a part of it.

#28

Sold 83 bitcoins in 2013......

Image credits: Gotprick

#29

I didn't pick a call because I didn't have her number saved at that time. It was a random girl from college, a classmate. Later that week, I came to know that she's in hospital and unconscious. I went to check on her, she had an accident, almost the same time when I got a call from her.

#30

Leaving the Coast Guard after four years. I'd be retired with a full pension and still have been able to have another career.

#31

I once tried to microwave an entire frozen pizza and ended up with a fiery frisbee of regret.

#32

Lending money to a friend.

#33

Going to a non-denominational church/ Born Again church.
I spent 10 years of my youth in that place.
I built my belief system from them, but i doubted my faith because of them too.
Pretty much all my life's secrets were known by them. Turns out, they will use every single one of them against you once you leave.

#34

Got drunk on my 20th birthday. Slept with a guy I met that night - losing my virginity and getting pregnant all in one lousy night. Second mistake was not having an abortion and keeping the baby. She is a good human being, but I basically traded my life for hers.

#35

I worked in child care and suspected abuse. I went to the director of the childcare center and asked if I should call CPS, and she said no. I didn’t call CPS.

The little girl died about a month later. She was 2.5.

I will never forgive myself for trusting someone else over my own gut judgement. Worst mistake I ever made.

#36

Deciding to have an abortion for the wrong reasons. I do not regret the abortion, but I hold a lot of resentment about how it happened.

I panicked as a teenager, rushed my ex through it, didn't even give him a chance to talk to me because I was so horrified at being talked about within my family and my relatives judging me and being the first to not only have a child outside of marriage.. but teen pregnancy was unfathomable to me. Im 28 now and them relatives are not a factor in my life and Im very bitter about how I rushed myself and my ex and basically trauma blocked it out my head because of the opinion of those who didn't matter.

The only opinions that mattered were mine and my partners and I didn't think about either. My ex suffered a lot with him mental health afterwards, not because he wanted to keep the baby, but how rushed, manic and honestly just selfish I was during it.

#37

Listened to a teacher that said I wasn’t smart enough for Uni. Been questioning and doubting myself ever since.

#38

Student loans. Especially realizing that you never needed college in the first place to make it.

#39

Spending 11 years in retail. Seemed like a great idea at the time, better and less toxic than my previous seasonal job. I was dumb and believed that giving it my all and being devoted to the company would take me places. Got passed over for numerous promotions, got screwed over by 'friends' who didn't care who they had to step on to get themselves ahead, and ended up getting fired on a technicality over a decade in because a co-worker was gunning for my job. In retrospect it was the best thing that ever happened to me work-wise. I had been stuck in a rut and my self esteem had been so beat down I was convinced I didn't deserve better. Thank goodness I ended up in a job I love with great people. I just regret the time wasted.

#40

Getting breast implants. 6k, scars, scar tissue, permanently damaged nerves. Got them removed 3 years later. 2k saggy boobs. Pepperoni nipples and side boob fat.

I had decent boobs I just got peer pressured by friends who were getting their done.

#41

Ignoring a ruptured appendix for 5 days. By the time I went in I developed sepis spent 2.5 months in icu another month in skilled nursing because I had a breathing tube then 3 weeks inpatient rehab. I've never fully regained the strength in my legs had to go on disability .slowly getting better but had a 5 years stretch where I barely left the house. Basically missed a large chunk of children growing up.

#42

Not spending more time with my grandparents.

#43

Letting my primary doctor take over for my urologist who was retiring. Missed diagnosing my prostate cancer early.

#44

Got LASIK.  Should have done a lot more research and learned how much more common complications are than they tell you.

#45

Buying a brand new car. Quickly figured out that unless you are insanely rich no one can afford a brand new car. I certainly could not. Worst financial decision I ever made in my life by far.

#46

I told a guy it was okay to eat a piece of cheesecake at my good friend's wedding.

I was an out of town bridesmaid, so I wasn't aware that she had chosen cheesecake as her wedding cake.

She had a meltdown when she realized her guests were eating the "wedding cake" before she came down for the reception. It was all my fault bc I was the one who said "Sure" when someone asked me if they could eat it.

Okay so not the worst mistake I ever made in my life. But I'd never intend to screw up someone's wedding or reception on their special day.

#47

I didn’t ask my parents enough questions about their lives before they died.
When people die, their history dies with them. Stories about them, what their lives were like, what their parents were like. It all disappears.

Ask your parents and grandparents all the things, you won’t regret it.

#48

Attempting to trim my own bangs the night before picture day. Instant regret and a lot of hats.

#49

Thinking love... Romantic love wasn't real. I broke his heart (turned down his marriage proposal) and tried so hard to ignore my feelings. He left to build a life elsewhere because I refused to believe in my feelings.
I spent most of my life in an abusive, coercive, nightmarish relationship, I feel like I deserved it, stupid really... I'm free now. The one man I've ever loved, and I recently reconnected.
20 years later, and I'm still in love with him.

#50

Buying a used bmw.

#51

I went in business with my old brother. Who doesn’t know how to manage money to save his life. It ended up cost me financially for years. Never go into business with family!!!!!

#52

Got addicted to gambling.
(Lost my years of saving, my girlfriend, my job and the roof above my head becoming homeless).

#53

The worst mistake I ever made was missing my dad's final phone call. I didn't realize it would be the last time I could hear his voice.

#54

Sold Microsoft stock to fix my septic system in 1991. Multimillion dollar drain field. I feel sick every time I look at my yard.

#55

Tried to raise a child while having a severe untreated mental illness for 12 years.

#56

Not using sunscreen.

#57

Lighting that first cigarette.

#58

Marrying. Thank God I dumped his a*s.

#59

I cheated on the love of my life. ruined an amazing thing. first and last time i ever make that mistake.

edit: besides that one weird dude, thank you guys for the kind words. it’s not something i get to talk about with people in person much without getting judged, so it means a lot.

#60

Going on Omegle as a kid- I haven’t recovered yet.

#61

I tried to prank my school by placing milk in the ceiling of each room. Well, I got most of them, but I made one mistake.

Our school already had leaking issues due to an excess amount of snow that would occur every year. It was the Midwest, so I think you get the idea.

The many janitors would occasionally check spots where mold was spotted or it had the occasional leak. It so happens that the milk carton had somehow broke from the milk expanding with how hot it was up there.

This I learned in science class and that would explain things later.

Some janitors either had rotten milk spilt all over them or it made a huge mess on the floor.

I was really trying to just make a bad smell, that worked but it also resulted in either exploding milk or just spilt milk.
I was never caught but f**k I felt guilty.

#62

Trying to be someone I'm not to impress people. Turns out, being yourself is way cooler.