The Chat Room

[Road to Recovery]

I would just like to let some of the new people know that the chat room here is a great place to go for support. When I first came here and struggling to stay sober I found that no one understood more as to what I was going through than the great people that are here and have been here. Many times when I would be in a social situation with people drinking - I would get the usual "why arent you drinking?" and you just feel so out of place - but not here. It was so soothing to be able to talk about those experiences with people that have been there and know how hard it is. The topics in chat arent always about drinking but I guarntee that if you introduce yourself and say you are new - some one will talk with you and encourage you - just say "I am new and I need some one to talk to". It truly does help with the pain and struggle to get through those "witching" hours.

Please dont pay any attention to anything you read about negativity in chat. You do not need to "Hide" in any specific threads to feel "safe". Most of us are here for the same reason - because drinking is/was consuming our lives and we genuinely want it to stop.
We are not here to criticize or judge - we are here to support and walk the journey with you as others have done for us.

[JackieClaire]

The Chat Room

Hi RR,

Your not going to believe this but on one of my late night lurks I found this post from the 19th November 2006.

I can remember when I first started going into chat and I hadn't got a clue, but it was a live saver for me in those earl weeks. Hope it helps I wish I'd found it ealier.

Due to my recent (and past) faux pas?s in chat, it dawned on me to see if there was some universal chat room etiquette. Cyberspace psychology & communications are interesting anyway. In brief I found each community has its own culture and that a lot of communities publish their etiquette guidelines in FAQs. But there are some universal ones.

This has been my first experience in a chat room or community & I have a violated a few of them. Some I really did not know about & some I knew better because it really is just common sense.

For example, I absolutely did not know that you are not suppose to use Capital Letters in cyberspace; that it means you are yelling or screaming and that is offensive to all. It is also not acceptable to pry or ask others personal questions such as sex or age. Although we are all pretty open with each other, I do believe people deserve whatever level of privacy they wish & I have crossed that line & dug deep inappropriately.

Also, most of all, chat rooms are to be enjoyed by all and not taken too seriously. (I forget that one a lot.)

There is etiquette for forums and discussions also, but here is a summary of the universal ones that I found for chat. I think a lot of people already know all this stuff, but I didn?t.

Some Do Not?s?
1. Do not verbally abuse, attack, embarrass or threaten anyone. You are bound to have people upset you but it is best just to ignore them or leave the room.
2. Do not use obscene, offensive, or sexually explicit language.
3. Do not type your messages in capital letters. It is a sign that you are screaming or yelling and it is rude.
4. Do not ask others a lot of personal questions. Use the same judgment as you would in a face to face conversation. Caveat: Unless you are personal friends and are both comfortable sharing.
5. Don?t speak unless you know what the conversation is about. Don?t interrupt a conversation in process.

Some Do?s
1. When you enter the chat room always greet everyone there whether you know them or not.
2. When someone enters the room, always greet them ?Hi .
3. Welcome newcomers who are entering for the first time. Answer their questions. Try to help.
4. Type short messages. If your message is long, break it up.
5. Do enjoy your time in chat and never take things too seriously.

I am glad I learned these things.

[Chillgirl]

The Chat Room

I too would like to say how much the chartroom helped me.
In the beginning I didn't know what to do with myself at times of cravings or at my usual drinking hours and going into chat was my salvation, I got nothing but fantastic support, great advice and genuine understanding and compassion.

[prancy]

The Chat Room

How do you get into chat. I clicked the button but there was just an empty screen.

[Road to Recovery]

The Chat Room

Prancy,
Do you have java on your computer? it should be a little icon at the bottom right of your task bar that looks like a cup of coffee. If you have it - just close the blank screen and try again. if you dont have java - you can install it for free.

[NoraC]

The Chat Room

Prancy
I've been having problems getting into chat too. Just get a blank screen. I have found that if I try different browsers, eventually I get on. But several people are having problems. Just try again when it doesn't work. :l