“Following” or “Liking” – “Following” (or “Liking”) an Al‑Anon WSO social media page does not constitute membership in the program. Social media pages are public to allow individuals and organizations to follow them and engage by liking and sharing content they value. Consider other causes you may follow. Individuals can follow a page devoted to a cause and even engage by sharing content regardless of whether they have personally been affected by that person, place or thing.
Carrying the message – It’s easy to carry Al‑Anon’s message of hope on social media without violating anyone’s anonymity. Here are a few tips:
- Write your comments in “third person”, i.e. “I know a lot of people who were helped by going to Al‑Anon meetings.”
- Use hashtags to insert your shared message into the searches for those key terms., i.e. “#AlAnon provides support to anyone affected by the #FamilyDisease of #alcoholism.”
- Feel free to create a social media alias but refrain from creating a name that includes Al‑Anon or Alateen, i.e. Al‑Anon Bob.
- Avoid referring to your direct experience in Al‑Anon in “first person”:
- “I have been in Al-Anon for 9 years and it really helped my family.”
- “Jane Smith, we need to share this with Al‑Anon members in our district.”
Message of hope – Please join Al‑Anon members around the globe and carry Al‑Anon’s message of hope to families and friends of alcoholics who may not know there is support available to them.
If you have any questions, please contact the WSO, digital@al-anon.org.
I have mixed feelings about identifying myself with Al-Anon even though most of my family and friend know I am a member.
While I love that there is Alanon info on social media now, I feel that it makes it pretty obvious that myself or someone i know is a member when I start “liking” or sharing Alanon posts. I feel that when others see the likes or shares, they’re going to clearly know it’s one of the two reasons why. I don’t personally feel comfortable letting that part of my personal life out on social media, even if it isn’t directly breaking anonymity. I will continue to carry the message, just not this way. Thank you for the info!
Breaking, or having my anonymity at the public level could have serious consequences for several members of my family, and could (and has) certainly bring their wrath upon me. Not everyone understands this. I have made mistakes that have lead to small breaks in my anonymity in the past myself, so it’s easy for me to understand when others may not consider how important anonymity actually is in many cases, not only for others, but for ourselves as well. I am very grateful for these well thought-out suggestions. It is very helpful to me to have such a simple example… Read more »
There is never a fear to relate yourself in this site, and you can believe that from someone who grew up with fear.
Excellent information. Thank u.
I write a blog about recovery using an alias. Often I refer to “we” when describing Alanon experiences, but the article is inferring that I shouldn’t use first person such as “I have been in Alanon…” and other such verbiage. As long as I stay anonymous and using an alias, what is the offending issue? A clarification would be nice . The traditions say we stay anonymous at level of radio, press, tv, internet – it doesn’t say we can’t speak from first person while using an alias. I know there are nuances and subtleties. Thank you !
That really helps me a lot. I shy away from posting, because I didn’t have the confidence to know how or what to post. You’ve given me that confidence. Thank you.