Cutting out social media
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Midwest
Posts: 158
Cutting out social media
Since I'm starting treatment tomorrow whether it's their day program or inpatient I have decided to cut out social media to really focus on treatment and social media is a major distraction and temptation to make me want to drink seeing pictures of my friends at parties and alcohol,etc. I told my friends they can reach me on email though, but for now social interaction is going to be limited. All my friends have rallied around me even those who were distant and support me fully on my journey to recovery.
A Smart Bug is a Sober Bug!
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Hot and Muggy South Florida
Posts: 1,396
I never noticed the alcohol pictures my friends post until the day I stopped drinking. I see them all over Facebook now - and to stay sane, I hide them from my newsfeed.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Orange County, CA
Posts: 27
Good idea. I'm 1 year sober and still find it an in-your-face reminder of how great everyone else's life is lol. So it's a distraction that takes my mind to negative places and hinders my recovery. You are off to a good start. Put yourself and your sobriety first, no matter what. Good luck to you
Laozi Old Man
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 6,665
I my self lost interest in radio and TV for the first few years that I was in recovery. I still avoid the first 5 minutes of any news cast as it is typically filled with bad news and disturbing graphics.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Toronto
Posts: 318
my in patient treatment program cut all social media really I had no access to a phone I had no access to email I had no access to a computer. the reason being is in the past patient would contact their drug dealers or would get alcohol brought to them. I didn't mind no cpu or social media. It was a good time to get away and focus purly on recovery.
Grateful to be free
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
I think it's awesome that you are recognizing what is and isn't a threat to your recovery. Setting proper priorities is one of the biggest supports to our recovery.
I hope you find many opportunities for growth and a lot of healing in your treatment program. I did a short outpatient program at the start of my recovery and it was a real wake up call that got me started down a path that has changed my life.
Social media, like anything, is a pitfall for some and a boost to others. In and of itself it's neutral.
I hope you find many opportunities for growth and a lot of healing in your treatment program. I did a short outpatient program at the start of my recovery and it was a real wake up call that got me started down a path that has changed my life.
Social media, like anything, is a pitfall for some and a boost to others. In and of itself it's neutral.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 638
I have so to agree with facebook being a total waste of time.
Ever since it first came out I saw it an abomination, an impractical and annoying system (my opinion). I still think the same, nothing's changed.
Don't understand why so many people spend time on it. I think it's complete bs to be honest. Well, so there an opinion.
Ever since it first came out I saw it an abomination, an impractical and annoying system (my opinion). I still think the same, nothing's changed.
Don't understand why so many people spend time on it. I think it's complete bs to be honest. Well, so there an opinion.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: El Cerrito, California
Posts: 580
It's good to limit your triggers. I don't watch TV a lot, but I'm aware that the ads are a lot of malarkey. Especially beer ads; as if all the beer drinkers out there were yucking it up with babes.
Mini Novel Post Writer
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Maine
Posts: 3,649
pinktee18,
Getting rid of social media is a smart choice. I'm a weekend binge drinker and of course, when do all the people on my friend's list start posting those pictures? Friday and Saturday of course. Pictures of drinks, be it beer, wine, or whatever, standing there alone on a bar like a picture that a professional photographer would take. Pictures of groups of people all standing in a crowd, all with drinks in their hands. Discussions of parties and who is going. One of my posts here was kind of awful and self serving about how I would see those entries and couldn't wait to jump on the next morning to laugh at those same people lamenting about their hangovers.
Commercials for beer that tell you that weekends are made for having fun, and of course, you can't do that without alcohol! That Friday at 5:00 is Miller time. Don't miss out! Everyone is going to be drinking this weekend, have to do that in order to be part of the fun!
I am really sick of how alcohol is romanticized. No wonder we all have a problem with it. In early sobriety it's best to remove yourself from all of that.
We all talk about classifications of drinkers on here. We discuss how we sometimes wish that we could be like the normal drinkers who can take it or leave it. Who don't give it a second thought and who can stop at a few. Consider this, is a person who must profess to all of their friends in the social media that they're going to be drinking and post pictures of what they are drinking really in that classification? They feel like they must portray that they are engaging in the act of drinking to show that they're about to have a good time. Would what we classify as a normal person really do that if they could take it or leave it? They wouldn't need the world to see that they are about to drink.
I prefer to think that the ones who do that are in various stages of, but on the same path that we once were. You and I are ahead of the game, we were on that path, reached the crossroads, and are finally succeeding in realizing that true happiness doesn't come in the form of a bottle, a can, or in a glass. They still have all that ahead of them, we are already there.
For that reason I consider us to be the true lucky ones and better off for it.
Getting rid of social media is a smart choice. I'm a weekend binge drinker and of course, when do all the people on my friend's list start posting those pictures? Friday and Saturday of course. Pictures of drinks, be it beer, wine, or whatever, standing there alone on a bar like a picture that a professional photographer would take. Pictures of groups of people all standing in a crowd, all with drinks in their hands. Discussions of parties and who is going. One of my posts here was kind of awful and self serving about how I would see those entries and couldn't wait to jump on the next morning to laugh at those same people lamenting about their hangovers.
Commercials for beer that tell you that weekends are made for having fun, and of course, you can't do that without alcohol! That Friday at 5:00 is Miller time. Don't miss out! Everyone is going to be drinking this weekend, have to do that in order to be part of the fun!
I am really sick of how alcohol is romanticized. No wonder we all have a problem with it. In early sobriety it's best to remove yourself from all of that.
We all talk about classifications of drinkers on here. We discuss how we sometimes wish that we could be like the normal drinkers who can take it or leave it. Who don't give it a second thought and who can stop at a few. Consider this, is a person who must profess to all of their friends in the social media that they're going to be drinking and post pictures of what they are drinking really in that classification? They feel like they must portray that they are engaging in the act of drinking to show that they're about to have a good time. Would what we classify as a normal person really do that if they could take it or leave it? They wouldn't need the world to see that they are about to drink.
I prefer to think that the ones who do that are in various stages of, but on the same path that we once were. You and I are ahead of the game, we were on that path, reached the crossroads, and are finally succeeding in realizing that true happiness doesn't come in the form of a bottle, a can, or in a glass. They still have all that ahead of them, we are already there.
For that reason I consider us to be the true lucky ones and better off for it.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Nutmegger
Posts: 1,799
[QUOTE] I was the opposite...I learned at the end to hold my drink low beside me or hide it if someone was taking a picture at a party that might be published. I felt like standing there holding a glass of wine at the beginning of the night was kind of like waving the Scarlet A. The last thing i wanted was to appear with any alcohol especially in print. I actually thought I was clever that I was wise enough to put the hand holding a drink out of the picture.....Hello? Most people worry about holding in their gut!
Originally Posted by LadyBlue0527 
pinktee18,
We all talk about classifications of drinkers on here. We discuss how we sometimes wish that we could be like the normal drinkers who can take it or leave it. Who don't give it a second thought and who can stop at a few. Consider this, is a person who must profess to all of their friends in the social media that they're going to be drinking and post pictures of what they are drinking really in that classification? They feel like they must portray that they are engaging in the act of drinking to show that they're about to have a good time. Would what we classify as a normal person really do that if they could take it or leave it? They wouldn't need the world to see that they are about to drink.
We all talk about classifications of drinkers on here. We discuss how we sometimes wish that we could be like the normal drinkers who can take it or leave it. Who don't give it a second thought and who can stop at a few. Consider this, is a person who must profess to all of their friends in the social media that they're going to be drinking and post pictures of what they are drinking really in that classification? They feel like they must portray that they are engaging in the act of drinking to show that they're about to have a good time. Would what we classify as a normal person really do that if they could take it or leave it? They wouldn't need the world to see that they are about to drink.
Mini Novel Post Writer
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Maine
Posts: 3,649
Olivia, it might be best to either hide those you know post about alcohol or stay away from it for a while. I had to. SR actually pretty much replaced my Facebook time.
Jaynie, I hear you on the hiding. I didn't do that but many times I heard "Yup, there's LadyBlue in the pic, beer in hand". If I was at a party or out that was pretty much a given.
Jaynie, I hear you on the hiding. I didn't do that but many times I heard "Yup, there's LadyBlue in the pic, beer in hand". If I was at a party or out that was pretty much a given.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 638
The problem with facebook often is that it is not a very private place, like exchanging information with only a few most trusted people. Instead most others and friends of friends can see your comments at times and facebook's privacy policy is not one to be trusted imo.
The second thing is that there are lots of ads on facebook everywhere.
The third thing is reading stupid stories of people who actually think other people like reading about their lives and don't have lives of their own. Well, some actually might but this is just me.
The second thing is that there are lots of ads on facebook everywhere.
The third thing is reading stupid stories of people who actually think other people like reading about their lives and don't have lives of their own. Well, some actually might but this is just me.
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