Administrators,



Please discuss forum policy/guidelines for discussing recreational and street drugs. I have seen several threads about marijuana and recreational use of nitrous oxide, for example. Some of these posts appear to support or, at the least are personal statements about how using the substance is OK, and so on. Some of the members making these posts could be minors, judging by their vocabulary and references to high school classes. These posts are not in the substance abuse threads and are not related to treatment of ADD.



This guideline/disclaimer from the drug subforums led me to ask this question. It concerns the misuse of prescribed drugs. My logic says that the use of substances that can lead to legal difficulties and/or conviction is closely related. Since we have minors using this site, it concerns me that some might get confused and think certain threads are condoning the use of a particular drug.



(http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15193)

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15193 (http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15193)

NO posts involving O.D.s, illegal or improper use of Medication are allowed

In an effort to protect all who use these forums, no posts will be allowed that involve illegal or improper use of medication of any kind. We do not condone illegal or improper use and do not wish to be a source of information for people who would use medication this way. This includes talk about overdoses or O.D.'s.




I am a concerned mom and appreciate your response. I am not proposing a ban or anything like that, I just want clarification so I don't put my foot in my mouth or post something that shows my ignorance of the guidelines.


Thanks so much,

RADDmom

PS, I have been having formatting problems with my posts today. The final formatting I create is not what is seen when the post is previewed of submitted. On this thread, everything below the blue quote box is not supposed to be underlined. That is what shows in the preview window.

I'm not an administrator, and I am not in any way speaking for them, but I'll give a clarification as to how I see it....

The rule in the quote that you provide is mostly intended to stop people from coming here and posting about how they are abusing their prescribed medication as it was becoming a problem. The rule is placed in the medication section for that reason.

As far as illegal drugs, that is a different story. At least the way I see it, posts about illegal drugs should be allowed as substance abuse in that form is a common issue in ADHD. It's common for people to self-medicate with methamphetamine, cocaine, or marijuana. Simply to discuss past experiences with such drugs is not bad in itself. However, if it seems that there is an agenda behind a post, such as encouraging the use of such a drug, by all means, report the post and we will take a look at it. I realize that I've let go of certain posts before, though attaching a huge disclaimer, as I think the members need to be informed of the dangers of using such drugs, and what a better opportunity to do so than in that context.

But then again, that's just the way I see it....

The policy, as HF states, is to discourage people from discussing how they abuse prescribed medications.

ADDers have a tendency to self-medicate, and as such, discussing substance abuse is something we have to face as a community. This is why there are sections of the forums set up for such discussions. Posts that ENCOURAGE the abuse of such substances are not tolerated, but discussions about one's life experiences can hopefully lead to further educating us all.

I have a question Andrew :)...where do discussions on how to safely use an illegal substance fall? Inside or outside the guidelines?

Crazy :cool:

Outside, and down the block.

Thanks! I have some concerns about several discussions of that nature currently being discussed here at ADDF. IE: when does it cross the line from "scientific" into "wondering if I can party with my diagnosis"??

Crazy :cool:

Those would be posts you should report, so staff can review them in light of the guidelines we have in place.

;) Got it. Thanks!

Crazy :cool:

Thanks HF and Andrew, I appreciate your input.

It is an iffy subject. The info about misuse of prescribed meds makes me appreciate the safety concern for forum members. The more open this forum is, the better the exchange of information, support, and knowledge. It is a fine line sometimes and takes the collective wisdom of the mods and admins to keep the forum supportive and safe at the same time.

RADDmom

Thanks HF and Andrew, I appreciate your input.

It is an iffy subject. The info about misuse of prescribed meds makes me appreciate the safety concern for forum members. The more open this forum is, the better the exchange of information, support, and knowledge. It is a fine line sometimes and takes the collective wisdom of the mods and admins to keep the forum supportive and safe at the same time.

RADDmomAgreed! Not to mention the tendency to self-medicate and impulse control issues many of us have can make the fine line even harder to see.

This is a great place and I love it, but I dislike the idea that advice to self-medicate with illegal substances would be OK here. I am glad it is not OK :).

Crazy :cool:

And please note, you can go on a report frenzy, but understand that many posts have been taken care of through the input of our members by providing personal experience and google fact finding. Despite many wayward posters, it has always made me proud that our members have taken the time to counter these posts. We can keep trashing what we consider to be unacceptable but sometimes the best course of action is share with someone what you have been through than hide it away from them. Whether you want to believe it or not, people are going to take the path they deem necessary, all you can do and hope for is that you provide enough information that they make the right decision for them and come out healthy and happy.