asoberliferocks

I am almost 4 months clean. Do you find that you can now spot "friends" on Facebook who have problems with Alcohol and they don't even know it? I wish I had a way to let them know that posting how drunk you are or hung over, isn't really that funny, more kind of sad. I feel like I am silently watching them unwind on the Internet like slow motion train wreck. Ever since I took my last drink, I am more sensitive to people who think they are OK, but in reality probably have a drinking problem. At first I thought maybe I was even jealous, but not anymore. Life is so much better without booze!! I want everyone to experience this freedom. Still I am too chicken to ever express how I feel, just wondering if any of you get these feelings too.

debsam

Yep. I see this too. Probably a heightened awareness.

Makes me think of how quickly alcoholism progresses, because (although I didn't post about it) that was me at one time thinking it was harmless, over indulgent partying.

I see it so differently now.

Innerchild

Yup, every weekend someone is bragging about how much they drank and how bad their hangover is. NO thank you

katrinka

I noticed that a member of my family would post strange status updates where she would write maudlin poetry or pick fights and ask people to explain their updates. I knew she must be under the influence but I certainly don't feel I have the right to say anything. It sure is nice that I don't have to worry about writing anything embarrassing anymore!

Soberween

I have a 48 year old female FB friend that literally has a cocktail in her hand in every single photo. I'm talking 300+ photos. Some of them she is falling down drunk with her daughter who is 23 years old. It's quite sad. I do think I have a heightened awareness, but I know plenty of non-drinkers that know this person and they have mentioned it as well.

tomsteve

nope. i dont have friends on fb that post about their drinking escapades. not helpful to my sobriety.

Tattoogirl

I agree with tomsteve. I've deleted my fb account. This is a new me and i need to turn my back on my drinking buddies. But yeah i see them too...the 2am sad posts. The weekly hungover posts. That was me. My car crash life being played out for the amusement of my 500+ 'friends'. Ouch.

Scolova

There are several of my FB friends (and even family) whom I would not have know they drink to excess\have a drinking problem until I've read 'those' posts... I did that for many years, before facebook, go onto the net and type out drunken BS all over the place and got kicked out of many forums.
One friend has been to many 'Man Camp' style rehabs (?), he never mentions the drink as a problem, but the solution and is (almost) always at bar, talking about going to a bar etc... It doesn't get to me now days, although it did tick me off during my first 3 to 4 months. I feel sorry for them, but I don't say anything bad, just let it roll off my wall. (If they get really bad I hide their posts.)

PeacefulRain

Yep but I knew that long before I stopped drinking. One guy in perticular, the only photos of his that are not of alcohol or him and alcohol are of his son and there are way more alcohol photos then kid photos.

jstar

I would turn off my phone & hide it somewhere so hopefully, when the urge came as it always did, to post some stupid status updated....make lunch plans with old friends I haven't seen in 15 years...or the god-aweful "drunk" texting people at all hours of the night, that I prayed I would forget where I hid the damn thing!

With my relapses I've been having, I find myself doing the same stupid texting to old party friends that I've sworn to myself I'd never call again.....

Cunning...baffling....powerful...over out thoughts & actions.

Hating everything right now.

Live2Run25

I'm going through the same thing. I think MOST of my friends are alcoholics. Some of my friends i've NEVER seen without a drink in thier hand. I used to be upset about not seeing them as much, but now I realize rather than trying to convince them, i'm just going to worry about myself and move forward.

FlyerFan

I removed all of the people who did this. 1. because I cannot help them and 2. because it did not help my sobriety. A lot of them were family members and I was sad to defriend them but I can't have that kind of negative influences in my daily life. I know its just Facebook but I log on there daily and I have dozens of new sober friends there and I use it to stay in touch with them.

serious

I've thought about deleting my account for that very reason. All I see is people getting drunk.. . Or status updates like "so looking forward to happy hour". Vast majority of photos are people with drinks, drunk, etc.
Is there nothing else to brag about or share?
(I was like that as well at one point, but despite my problem not one pic or status update in over a year that is alcohol related. Not that I've been a saint, just more aware, I guess )

hypochondriac

Facebook is there purely for drunken photos. Hell, I've still got drunken photos on there, not quite sure what to do about that yet... And many of my friends post about drinking. It actually makes me think they're not alcoholics. I would never post how much I drank!! Ever.

asoberliferocks

That is so interesting that you wrote that, I too would NEVER post what I really drank. Can you imagine my status up-dates "drinking the vodka I hid in the closet so hubby doesn't know how much I am really drinking"

aNewEternity

Facebook always had a tendency to heighten my inferiority complex problems. I try to just use it for 'networking' in the broadest sense of the word.

keepfinding2

Haven't noticed.

mirage

Oh yeah, I notice it a lot, too. Especially the pictures of drinks..like we don't know what a Margarita looks like. I just delete what I don't want to see again and move on. I never announced my problem to the world..I wasn't proud of it.

Lily

Yes, I have one friend like that and it is horribly sad. I grieve for him.

Threshold

Well, personally, my FB friends (I keep a small number of people I am actually friends with on there) really do that BUT...

I do have friends who are massive drinkers. Thing is, if they don't consider it a problem in their lives...then alcoholic/drug abuser or not...it's not a problem for them. It MAY be a problem for me to hang with them, online or elsewhere and that is my decision to make.

I am not secretive about being in recovery and should they ever identify their substance use as a problem, they have a friend in recovery they could turn to for support.

One of my very best friends is in the habit of drinking to deep drunkeness twice a week or more with her kids and their friends. Does it concern me? Yup. She shares her drunken escapades with me, and I share my recovery issues with her.

If she enjoys her drinking, and it's consequences, and feels it is an asset in her life...then it is. That is her truth for her. There is nothing I can do about it, but distance myself from it if it becomes a problem for me.

Oddly, we now live 2000 miles apart and my only contact with her IS on FB! We chat nearly every day.