Realest

My faceboook is filled with my family, old friends, and people in AA. Lately I have been getting resentful at people on Facebook because this girl I know posts the amount on days they have sober, posts her phone number for people to call her if they need help. It’s seems to go against the anonymity and the attraction rather than promotion. It seems very boastful and egotistical and lacks humility. . Also I see peopel posting their day count but they don’t live clean. Plus the politics, drama, and basically it seems like peopel post their good moments only, does anyone else relate? I’m thinking about deleting it. Maybe I’m taking others inventory but it just reeks of ego.

biminiblue

I got off facebook in 2008.

I don't miss it.

Some people just delete down to the people they really want, but even family can be too much in my experience, so I just left it. No extra points in life for having the most facebook "friends."

Paperbag

Same. I found I spent more time looking at other people's good points in their lives, than I did living my own. Plus, there are so many over dramatic people on these things.

I have no time for them. I deleted my profile and when I did, it was like a weight was lifted.

dafunbra

Facebook is at least 95% people posting only their good moments. Why would it be any different in relation to AA members? Here we have a group that is called This City Friends of Bill W. where all that support, etc gets posted. It doesn't bother me when people post about their sober time. If it helps them, good for them. I do what helps me stay sober. Let them do what helps them.

Please don't take this the wrong way, and I'm not trying at all to be critical, but on first blush this feels like it has a lot more to do with whats going on inside of you than it does with someone posting sober time and offering support if people want it.

Realest

You’re right maybe It is something going on with me. Envy. Or comparing my insides to peopel outsides. Maybe facebook just isn’t for me.

MantaLady

I deleted Facebook 10 years ago, too much drama and gossip and cryptic messages where people are trying to insult other people but don’t have the balls to say anything to their face. Don’t miss it one bit.

As for someone posting about their sobriety, if it works for them then it’s not my business to go judging. The anonymity of AA is up to the individual, you can say you go to anyone you want or you can tell no-one. The only rule is you never call out anyone else in public. If they want people to know it is their right to decide that for themselves. x

Realest

I don’t think it’s the people posting their sober days that gets to me. I think it’s facebook overall that gets to me. Peopel psoring Thor highlight reel and I’m comparing myself. Also when I see people out having fun drinking it gets me,

Doris47

The first thing I did was delete all social media, the best thing I ever done 😄🙌

BlownOne

I still use social media, but I do take breaks from it from it from time to time. I'm always aware that what I'm seeing isn't the whole picture of anyone's life. It's a dog and pony show, so I take all of it with a grain of salt. If someone in the program chooses to blow their own anonymity, that's their business. It doesn't effect me, so I stay on my side of the street. I'm very open about my own sobriety on SM and I don't feel the need to remain anonymous. In fact, I've had a lot of people reach out to me privately and ask about my ESH. I don't mention others and I stick to what I know. Long as I practice what I preach I have no issues with any of it, but everybody is gonna be different. Do what works for you.

Finalround

Favorite thing I've heard to describe FB. "It's just people's highlight reel"

Deleted mine 3 years ago.

AAPJ

Realest I generally enjoy your posts. Yes as you noted yourself sometimes you take other folks inventory.

For me if folks on FB are posting their AA stuff that's their choice. My job as an AA member is to keep other folks anonymity but if they broadcast it themselves that's their right.

To me looking at someone's FB page is a window into their mind/ego/honesty. If someone posts an untruthful sobriety day count on FB and is not living clean I simply realize that's a person who can't be trusted to tell the truth. They did you a favor by showing their true nature.

REM700

I call it BragBook... If only people's lives were as great as they pretend to be on Facebook..

I'd like to delete mine, but it's the main way for me to keep up with many groups and interests. I get right to what I want - checking out local fishing and hunting groups, real updates and reports on areas that I frequent. There are some computer groups and gaming groups that I enjoy as well. As for the mindless scrolling through pictures of what you ate for lunch, I'll pass..

It really is a convenient vehicle to coordinate events and gatherings. But if I see people posting things that irritate me, they simply get blocked. I keep it simple, and use it for what makes ME happy.

REM700

I saw this notice at the top of THIS page.. You can apply it to other social media sights as well.

"If a post is not against the rules, we take no action.
If a member's posts annoy you, you can use the ignore feature.
If you don't use the ignore feature, then please don't complain. "

entropy1964

I am always a bit smug about the fact that social media is a completely foreign, totally freakish thing to me. I simply don't get it. Period.

I watch people totally and completely giving up their privacy. Exposing themselves to consequences that we are only beginning to really see. Frankly, it scares the hell outta me.

And the 'reality' of social media? There is none. Who knows what the hell is really going on with anyone? Pictures, posts....all completely subject to manipulation.

Yeah, I know. I'm a stick in the mud. But I am so so so grateful that I could give a rats azz about any of it!

MantaLady

Yeah, but what is hidden from view is the photo of the vomit on the bedroom floor as they couldn’t make it to the toilet in the middle of the night, the bruises and broken stuff they fell over on the way to bed, snapshots of the horrible text messages they might have sent in the early hours and no smell o vision for the morning breath that smells like dog **** or pictures of them sitting in the dark with the hangover from hell while they don’t leave the house for a day as they feel and look too rough.

People just post what they want others to believe they are. Xx

Realest

That’s true. Good point. Peopel have a right to post whatever they want.

Realest

Lol you crack me up. I agree with what you said.

Ustacallmelola

I have a friend who's husband is an emotionally abusive drunk and she is addicted to Narco to the tune of 120 pills a month. On FB you would think their life is a fairy tale and they are madly in love (he threatens to divorce her daily). I do not believe anything on FB and have limited my time on it to almost nothing.

Mango212

Part of my recovery is "take what I like and leave the rest."

I've used Pinterest and Instagram for extended periods as therapeutic good-feel postings/gathering what I like in my life.

Emptying my Pinterest boards I thought I was ready to start fresh. I am, yet it has simply one photo that has great meaning to me.

Life changes, every moment, every day. How I gather with me what I like can change, too.

WhoDeyPI

From time to time I'll post on Facebook about my progress. I don't do it for attention, I just do it because it's the best way I know how to "let my family in". I only post about it every few months, and the reaction has been all positive. After years of hiding my addiction, I feel proud that I'm finally able to admit it. I'm no longer ashamed, as sobriety is my biggest life accomplishment. I did have 1 person "call me out" for "bragging" about being in "recovery"...which I found disgusting and inappropriate. That person is no longer part of my life.