Mean People Suck

I've seen that pasted on many local bumper stickers and, although I don't sport such a sticker on my Subaru (I'd rather tout the joys of climbing), I agree completely. We have some mean-spirited people on SR. I know; they've replied to some of my threads. That's one of the reasons that I don't start very many threads on SR. I'll reply to the threads of others, but to put Christin's name on a thread and to announce that it's "Open Season on Christin" -- no thanks.

Why there are those individuals who (thankfully are not many) have had nothing but angry words to post to me since I joined SR, I will probably never know. Some people just misunderstand the poster, but some are just downright mean and hurtful.

My sponsor (who has read my posts and the replies that I've received on SR) used to tell me that some people might be from the old school. Well, I've been a regular in the rooms of NA and AA for nine months now. I've met many "old timers." And thank God none of them have treated me as I have been treated by some on SR.

I know that we have the option to ignore certain individuals. However, I have chosen, instead, to refrain from starting threads. This prevents me from being the target of mean-spiritedness yet enables me to read what everyone posts so that I am able to offer a kind word to someone who might mainly be getting replies that resemble the hurtful ones that have been posted in reply to my threads.

All I can say in acceptance of this is that there are some people who have not realized recovery. These people (in spite of seeming to have worked the steps) are no more serene or happy than the dry drunk next to them in a beginner's meeting.

I was in a very volatile place emotionally yesterday. I took the chance of posting, figuring that I was posting in the Suboxone forum where those who are typically unkind to me have little reason to venture. Still, I was found. It was a day in which the roller coaster of emotions, which I've been assured is normal for early recovery, had taken its toll on me. I'm an addict in early recovery who is a wife, a mom, the daughter of a father who has cancer (for whom I'm the primary helper), who is trying to do everything that she can to hold down her rather stressful job, trying to keep her writing from falling into oblivion again (as it did while she was using), and not let my addiction have any more of a negative impact on my family as is absolutely necessary.

A kind and understanding ear is all that I need sometimes. Unfortunately, there are some people who can't discern when someone is emotionally on the edge, when the last thing that they need is something that might be seen as a way to knock them down ("to size") or even to push them forward.

Then again, there are those who simply are mean-spirited, which simply translates to them being "small" in spirit. I guess that it's no surprise that they would struggle with a program based on spiritual principles. Such people believe that when someone is shouting the best response is I don't know about you, but I think that's very