Sometimes in life, you just have to go all in, you know what I mean?
It’s usually debatable whether that’s a good idea or not, but once in a while, you’re thrown into a situation and you just decide to go for it all the way and not turn back.
Are you ready for some true “no turning back” stories?
Here are some very entertaining stories from folks on AskReddit.
1. Didn’t want to do it…
“When I was younger, letting my older cousin talk me in to a canoe ride down a flooded river. We’d planned it days in advance but there was a lot of heavy rain in the area and the normally calm river was near flood level and quite rough. I really didn’t want to do it but I didn’t want to let him down either so I still went. I knew as soon as we saw the river this was a terrible idea.
The whole thing was a shit show and I honestly though we were going to die. We had no control and at one point we got stuck nose down and a large rock, knowing if we tipped out we were drowning. We somehow made it out and to the shore where we walked back with the canoe.”
2. You’re a hero!
“Stepping off that sandbar I could barely reach to swim out to the girl caught in a riptide…and not knowing how a riptide worked. It took what felt like hours but, spoiler alert, we made it.
Too early in the season for lifeguards. I remember calling out to people walking their dogs on the beach but we were so far out they didn’t even look towards us.”
3. Living the hobo life.
“I hopped a freight train once, and the moment it hits 15-20 mph, you’re just along for the ride.
But the real “no going back” moment came when the train stopped on a siding outside Winnemucca. After waiting there for like 5 hours, I decided to walk into town and get some ice cream sandwiches. As soon as I got 50 yards from the train, I realized: if it starts rolling now, I’ll be too far away to chase it down. I’ll just be stuck in this town for a while.
For you kids out there, riding freight trains is dangerous and illegal (and dirty and loud and unreliable). Don’t do it!
Also, I should point out that Winnemucca is home to some of America’s best Basque restaurants, fantastic cowboy heritage sites, and it’s the gateway to the Black Rock Desert! It’s got something for everyone–not just stranded hobos!”
4. Like a war zone.
“While motorcycling through Vietnam it was getting late and I was running low on fuel. Too low to turn back to the previous town. If that wasn’t bad enough, my bike rack broke. Luckily, a kind man and his daughter stopped to help. He knew no English outside of, “I can fix.” So I followed him.
I wore my bags and held the rest in my lap. Entering the town, my jaw dropped. It was complete calamity. The streets were filled with people carrying 2x4s, rocks and bottles. Literally hundreds of people.
It was like a war zone, with people smashing scooters and cars on fire, people yelling and fighting. A few individuals were running for their lives with mobs in tail. (I can still vividly see one man’s face as he looked over his shoulder in dread.)
There were too many people to drive through, so I had to slow down to a crawl. All I kept thinking was, “Please don’t notice me. Please don’t rob me and smash my face in. Please know I’m with this kind man and his daughter.”
The moment lengthened as a few of the town folk started to notice me. I was scared shitless but produced a warm smile. The smile wasn’t returned. The kind man looked back and those who were taking interest in me noticed. Can’t help but think it helped.
We finally breached the throng of people and pulled down an alleyway to his place. I still didn’t feel safe, but I needed gas and my rack fixed. I tried to ask the man why all these people were fighting one another. He just smiled and made the drink gesture. (It was during Tet, or the Vietnamese New Year.)
He fixed my rack, gave me some gas and wouldn’t take any money as payment. However, like Christmas, the kids receive money so I gave his daughter a fat wad of cash. (With his blessing.)
About 45 minutes later I arrived safely at my hostel in Ninhvana.
Just so everyone knows, the Vietnamese people are some of the warmest and kindest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. So helpful, so caring, so giving without expecting anything in return.
When I shared this story with other Vietnamese friends I made, they said I was never really in danger. It was some town uprising but travelers are rarely ever hurt or attacked. At worst, you might get scammed for some money.
Also, Vietnam is one of the best countries to travel for a million reasons.”
5. Sounds scary to me.
“Salvia.
Never again. Only lasts five minutes, but holy shit does it feel like an eternity. It’s like your entire reality gets smashed into thousands of pieces and you’re desperately trying to piece it back together, or getting thrust into the space between the multiverses and you’re trying to figure out which one you belong in again.
Having your consciousness merged with a red solo cup on the dresser is the kind of experience a man needs no more than one of in his life.”
6. Extreme sports.
“Mountain biking with some friends on a new trail, which wasn’t even a bike trail. We hiked most of the way up since it was too steep to ride up. Carried our bikes all the way up.
Rested at the top for a bit and then rolled over the edge. I remember as my front tire crested and gravity started taking over I thought, “there’s no way I’m stopping now, unless a tree stops me”.”
7. We’re done.
“When my abusive husband was doing his weekly ritual of interrogating me and accusing me of some made up infidelity and goes “Well?! What’s the deal here, are we just done??”
Before I could stop myself I was like “You know, yeah, yeah we’re done.”
He didn’t know, until that moment, that I had already spoken to a divorce lawyer and the police and had all my ducks in a row to take the fuck off. But I was planning on actually meeting with the lawyer before I told him, so then it was 2 weeks of awful Jekyll and Hyde bullshit before I could leave.
I have to say, even though I was like “oh shit”, it did feel so fucking good to say it though.
Fuck that guy.”
8. In the mountains.
“Hiking back country snowboarding with a guy. Got stuck in a flat area and needed to hike out in deep powder. It was getting dark and kept coming out of thick trees to 50 foot plus cliff areas.
It was getting darker and we didn’t have much light left and finally came out to another cliff area with about a 10 foot cliff, 20 feet of landing and then a second 10 foot cliff area that had a narrow landing to an open glade. It was either go for it and don’t fall and get hurt or start making a snow tunnel and get ready to sleep on the mountain for the night at East Vail Chutes in Colorado.
We both made it through the cliff jumps safely but it was sketchy. When we got to town we both had a couple tall whiskeys and the first bar we got too and I was still shaking. Could have possibly died if we had to stay on the mountain over night or got seriously hurt (and then died) making the jumps to get to an area we could get down as it was getting dark but it was either jump or start making a snow shelter.
We were definitely not prepared with back county gear and got lost in the area even though we had both ridden it a few times with some experienced people who had taken us down before.
Scary and something I will never forget.”
9. Going for it.
“Canoeing over a waterfall.
First time I did a waterfall I thought I was gonna die. I’d been whitewater kayaking for over a year, had all my safety trained friends there with me, yet that feeling of going over and looking down at the hole just made me go ‘yep, I’ve gone too far’.”
10. A bad idea.
“Here, try this hot wing.”
Took a bite and for the next 18 hours, I could only focus on how this was a crime against humanity.
And for those now asking, it was The Last Dab XXX on a drumstick. It was coated all over. I just ate one big bite.
And then I went and shoved my head under a cold shower. Then, it was bed and bathroom for several hours as I threw up most of it, but some got digested.
I knew going it that it was gonna be hot. My former roommate was a hot sauce aficionado. He never once handed me a wing that was less than a habanero sauce. The question was “am I about to have ghost, pepper-x, Carolina reaper, habanero, etc”.”
11. Here I am.
“Solo moving to a new country.
My plane touched the ground at about midnight in Stockholm and I was like “shit, I’m 23 and I live alone in Stockholm.”
No going back now.”
12. Over and out.
“I can remember walking away from my ex wife in the airport. She really thought I couldn’t do it. It’s been four years and I can still remember that feeling knowing she was behind me now.
Yes, sometimes people actually split up in airports, I know it’s a cheesy movie cliche.”
13. Here’s a long one.
“Refusing to serve a customer for the first time ever. It may seem small but it felt like a big win.
I work at a cafe and a woman very rudely asked me for a 16oz hot coffee. We don’t offer that (we just make pour overs, yeah we’re an expensive bougie shop) and I tried to kindly explain to her why but told her I could make her 2 coffees if she likes as long as I stick with the recipe. She demanded I change the recipe, I said no, I can’t. She spotted a 16oz cup behind me and asked “WHATS THAT.”
Things were already very tense and I grabbed the cup and explained “this is 16oz cup but it’s only for cold brew. It looks similar to the hot cups but this one is compostable, made from sugarcane and will melt if hot liquid is poured into it.” She grabbed it out of my hand and demanded I made her 2 coffees and pour them into the cup.
I said I can’t do that, the cup will melt. She told me she would do it herself (which also wouldn’t work because she would have 24oz of coffee for a 16oz cup).
At this point other customers were in there giving me the “oh shit she’s crazy, i’m sorry you’re dealing with this” sympathetic eye. I knew if she poured the coffee into that cup and burned herself we would have a bigger issue. I said I can’t do that, i’m sorry. She demanded I make it again, saying “YOU WILL MAKE ME TWO COFFEES.”
She spoke to me so horribly and condescendingly. There was never a please, she spoke to me like a servant, and she was creating a safety hazard. I took a long pause and looked her right in the eye and said, “I’m sorry, I can’t let you speak to me that way and I won’t serve you.” She was shocked! She was appalled! The cafe was silent.
My coworker came out from the back and the customer held her card out to her and said “she won’t help me so YOU will. I’ll have 2 coffees.” And my coworker looked at her and said, “I don’t know what’s happening because I just got here but I trust my coworker so i’m sorry but I won’t serve you.”
It was SO COOL! Yes the woman yelled at us, berated us, mocked my voice, claimed I called her ‘abusive’ screamed that we were wrong, demanded our names and corporate’s contact.” I stayed so calm the entire time.
Once she left multiple regulars and customers offered to back me up if I needed support explaining the situation to my manager. I’ve worked at my company for years and am consistent and trusted. I called my boss immediately and explained the situation.
They received an angry voicemail within minutes and stood by me and my coworker, send a generic “sorry about your experience” email but not offering her any compensation.
It was seriously one of the best feelings. I stood my ground when in the past I have crumbled or allowed myself to be treated poorly in these types of situations. I asked for the respect I deserve as a human being and my coworkers and bosses supported me. Try it out sometime, it rules!!!”
Wow! Those are some pretty interesting stories.
Now we want to hear from you!
In the comments, tell us all about your “no turning back now” stories from your life.
Let’s see what you got!
