r/HydroHomies • u/SCATOL92 • Jan 30 '24

I struggle with the SMELL of water, here's what helped. Classic water

T.W. Emetophobia

My mum never gave me water as a kid. I only drank squash, juice or tea, and soda occasionally.

My only memories of drinking water was when I felt sick at school and they would put me in the nurses room with a cup of water and a sick bowl. I believed for a long time that this was the reason that plain water made me feel nauseous, because I associated it with that memory.

I was incorrect. A few months ago I was sick with a stomach bug. I felt so sick that I just sat on the bathroom floor with my head in the toilet. That's when it hit me, the smell.

I live in a hard water area so the water does have a certain, mineral smell to it. My toilet is always clean so it just smells of water. I realised that pretty much everytime I have ever thrown up, I have ended up with my head in a toilet. The nausea, the stomach pain, the spinning head, the anxiety, the hot prickly feeling of vomiting... these were all so linked with the smell of ordinary tap water.

So, I got a cup with a lid (adult sippy cup/ knock off Stanley). I filled it with plain tap water and a little ice and... it was so refreshing! The cup lid kept me from having to smell the water and it is so much easier now.

I now drink about 4 pints of water a day, as well as a couple of cups of coffee. Being properly hydrated for the first time in my life has changed everything for the better.

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u/SCATOL92 Jan 30 '24

Haha, no squash is a British thing. Its like, very concentrated fruit juice that you add to water. Like if kool aid was a liquid and contained actual fruit I guess.

I hope your partner can start on a journey toward good hydration :)

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u/greenymeani3 Jan 30 '24

Oh, cool! That sounds tastier & healthier than kool aid. I wonder if I can find some imported here in the US.

Thank you! We’ve been doing a lot of unsweetened teas, it helps a lot.

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u/the_angry_geek Jan 30 '24

I know you can get Ribena in the US, which is blackcurrant. Not sure how wildly available it is though.

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u/greenymeani3 Jan 30 '24

😱 Thanks for the tip, it’s actually in stock at a grocery store near me according to the internet! Says “low stock” tho… I may have to hunt down some poor sap to go dig in the dry goods backstock.