Kate, - Attending AA meetings was an eye-opener because of some of the tales I heard. I told myself, "I don't ever want to go to where he/she has been" Online media can provide that perhaps, but I'm not sure it has the same impact as being in the same room, hearing their voice, seeing their facial expressions and, occasionally, tears. (Example: compare an online chat to a live debate, or reading a script to seeing a live performance.) - Verbal and f2f exchanges can reveal clues that the online medium can't (e.g., slurred speech which could indicate I'm sittttingngna herrree getttinggg drunnnnkkkk). My sponsor ALWAYS looked/listened for nonverbal clues. - With my sponsor, it wasn't a one-way thing. Contact wasn't always initiated by me. HE also called ME, or stopped by to say hello. That's another aspect in which an online medium might fall short. It's a bit more impersonal, and how would an "online sponsor" casually contact me (especially if I didn't want to be contacted)? - Another aspect is that, with a sponsor, it was more personal. Here was a guy who'd been through what I was going through--and he made it. Now he was volunteering his time to help me. Part of my motivation was a desire to not disappoint him, too... Brewster
I've visited a few online support forums, out of curiosity, to see how they function. For me it's not the same as talking with somebody f2f or even on the phone--and that could be simply a personal thing. What I sensed in several forums was a mutual support group with a lot of *positive* reinforcement. Positive is good, but sometimes--or maybe for some people--an occasional kick in the seat of the pants is required (was true for me). Some thoughts:
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