His Housemates Refilled His Rum With Water, But He Got Them Back With A Revenge They Didn’t See Coming

Living with roommates can bring out the best and worst in people, and for one individual, it brought out a clever act of revenge. While they weren’t a heavy drinker, their favorite drink was a modestly priced bottle of rum.

Unfortunately, their housemates, who were known for their party-loving ways, had a tendency to help themselves to whatever liquor was within reach, including their prized bottle.

When the rum mysteriously started tasting off, the individual decided to take matters into their own hands.

Living with roommates often means more than sharing bills, you share trust. In the OP’s story, that trust was broken.

Their housemates treated the OP’s rum like a communal supply: taking swigs, then diluting it so the OP wouldn’t notice.

For the OP, that wasn’t just theft, it felt like a betrayal of personal boundaries. So they retaliated: swapping the rum with fish sauce.

That reaction, dramatic as it was, reveals a deeper truth: when boundaries are repeatedly ignored, some people resort to extreme measures to reclaim control.

Roommate conflicts over personal belongings and respect are widely documented.

Research on shared living among young adults finds that communal housing often brings tension when expectations or values clash.

In some cases, those tensions don’t remain minor, they affect well‑being, sense of safety, and trust among housemates.

One academic analysis of roommate conflicts outlines how misattributions about intent, like assuming someone stole out of malice or entitlement, often prevent honest dialogue and push people toward destructive strategies rather than resolution.

When communication fails, roommates often retreat into passive‑aggressive behavior, avoidance, or retaliation, all of which degrade the shared living environment.

In a study of students living in shared housing, the authors concluded that “interpersonal conflict in domestic intimacy can result in hostility and anxiety with negative mental health implications.”

That matters. The OP’s drastic fish‑sauce trick may have stopped the immediate theft, but such revenge also has a cost. It can degrade trust, create hostility, and make the home feel unsafe.

What could the OP have done differently, or what would be wiser for someone in a similar situation: instead of “punishment revenge,” consider confrontation or boundary‑setting.

A discussion, maybe calling the roommates out directly, explaining the breach of trust, and asking them to stop, might feel awkward, but research suggests open communication in shared housing significantly improves roommate satisfaction and reduces conflict.

This approach gives everyone a chance to reset expectations before things escalate.

If the OP had done that, they might have preserved a usable living environment, or at least ended a toxic arrangement without hiding fish sauce in bottles. But, given how disrespectful their roommates were, their frustration and reaction are understandable.

This story reminds us how fragile shared‑living trust can be. When people don’t respect boundaries, even something as simple as a bottle of rum, it erodes the foundation.

Retaliation might feel sweet in the moment, but long‑term, honest boundaries and direct communication often lead to healthier living situations.

Here’s what the community had to contribute:

These Redditors shared their humorous pranks involving alcohol, like mixing salt with fancy creamer or swapping out tequila with tea at parties.

These Redditors shared their experiences of realizing the true value of things they’d taken.

These commenters suggested using unpleasant or strange flavors like Thai fish sauce or Malort as a cruel prank for those who misbehave.

These commenters jokingly referenced the obsession with alcohol.

The OP’s revenge on their housemates was both clever and deliciously devious, who would’ve guessed that fish sauce could be the ultimate deterrent? While some might say “an eye for an eye” is fair game, did OP take it too far?

After all, they did make their point clear. But was it the most fitting response, or should they have taken a more direct route with their housemates? What’s your take, did OP’s fishy revenge hit the mark, or was it over the top? Share your thoughts below!