Discussion do you believe a recovery section on here is counter productive?

[bluesoapyskies]

im not oblivious that this is a suicide-friendly site lol but something i think isnt quite clear to some is that this isnt a pro suicide site. so if im trying to recover, why go on a site like this? honestly its the community. i like that fact thats its 18+ and that the people here just get it. talking about suicide and recovery to people who dont understand it or even villainize it is exhausting and has had the opposite effect on me. i understand that i could just call the suicide hotline but i mean lets be real, if that was the cure wed all be smiling and hippy dippy by now ahah.

i get how a recovery section on this site may look silly to some, but to me, suicide is a last resort. i want to recover and i hope that i do, but i know that if i dont, i wont be judged here.

 

[OhWellDerp321]

I don't think it is counter productive at all. I think it emphasizes that we are pro-choice and not pro suicide. Pro-choice means you should be able to make your own choices whether it is suicide or recovery.

It's better to have a safe space for people to even chat about recovery.
As you mentioned, people that don't understand "pro-choice" will even shun you if you mention the idea of suicide.
So how are they supposed to "recover" if they talk about it to others outside this forum?

Although I will say, it should be an entirely different forum. Sometimes I do mistake certain threads for suicide discussion. And I know you are not supposed to put negativity in recovery section.

 

[Square251]

Not at all. I view this place as a safe space where I can talk about suicidal topics without the risk of being dismissed like in other places. I've tried other forums and ironically many still view the topic of suicide as taboo. Like, if I am indeed suicidal and want to talk about it, is banning me the way to help? Now that's counterproductive. I do not support suicide in most cases because even though I'm suicidal a lot of times myself, I still view the loss of life as a tragedy regardless. This place allows me to talk about it without being judged or silenced, and I love that.

 

[sadbeans]

i get how a recovery section on this site may look silly to some, but to me, suicide is a last resort. i want to recover and i hope that i do, but i know that if i dont, i wont be judged here.

this ^ Talking to people who completely shy away from suicide has left me drained and frustrated. If anything it only increased my urges. It is so difficult to be able to rationally discuss the topic with anyone, in person or online, and nearly impossible to find people who relate so deeply. Yes, I don't believe that there's anything worth living on for, and the majority of the time I will be browsing the suicide discussion section. But in the fleeting moments I'm willing to attempt recovery I don't want to be faced with people pointing flashing arrows towards therapy. I want to talk to people who truly understand what it feels like, people who acknowledge that suicide is an option, and while likely not the best choice, is still something that is left on the table. This section is a safe space to do that.

 

[bluesoapyskies]

this ^ Talking to people who completely shy away from suicide has left me drained and frustrated. If anything it only increased my urges. It is so difficult to be able to rationally discuss the topic with anyone, in person or online, and nearly impossible to find people who relate so deeply. Yes, I don't believe that there's anything worth living on for, and the majority of the time I will be browsing the suicide discussion section. But in the fleeting moments I'm willing to attempt recovery I don't want to be faced with people pointing flashing arrows towards therapy. I want to talk to people who truly understand what it feels like, people who acknowledge that suicide is an option, and while likely not the best choice, is still something that is left on the table. This section is a safe space to do that.

i agree. i get that people get alarmed when you tell them you're suicidal, but rushing to put them in a psych ward or acting like theyre crazy just hurts. or the half assed "itll get better this is a just a phase comment" drives me insaneeee.

 

[dead_milky]

I think it serves to show that the community is accepting and is not set on making people want to ctb or try it, instead focusing on hearing everyone out and giving the support we need, no matter which section we are on - both people who are set on dying and people who still have hope are welcome here, and I think that's what makes the forum so comfortable.

 

[Louise Payne]

im not oblivious that this is a suicide-friendly site lol but something i think isnt quite clear to some is that this isnt a pro suicide site. so if im trying to recover, why go on a site like this? honestly its the community. i like that fact thats its 18+ and that the people here just get it. talking about suicide and recovery to people who dont understand it or even villainize it is exhausting and has had the opposite effect on me. i understand that i could just call the suicide hotline but i mean lets be real, if that was the cure wed all be smiling and hippy dippy by now ahah.

i get how a recovery section on this site may look silly to some, but to me, suicide is a last resort. i want to recover and i hope that i do, but i know that if i dont, i wont be judged here.

I am actually very, very grateful for the Sanctioned Suicide webpage. Never before have I found something so wonderfully made. It is a place that I feel seen (albeit behind a screen). And it is a perfect balance of a place that I can share my feelings with others in the same situation as well as give me a balance of thoughts on recovery. Kudos to the founders of the site and all brave souls here.

 

[SexyIncél]

I think it has its place:

• suicide: suffering & observing reality coldly
• recovery: positivity! you look good
• offtopic: lighthearted goofing off

Ironically, so far the suicide forum is better for my well-being, due to that nature

 

[ChronicallyCynical]

I personally don't understand how it could be counterproductive.

Not everyone here is 100% decided that they want to suicide, they just potentially have a history of suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviour, but may well want to get better... they just struggle to do so anywhere else. Maybe they fear judgment, or being thrown into a psych ward (and having a terrible experience there), or want to keep suicide an option if it doesn't work out and so would prefer to have this site on hand for that too.

Besides, as other people have mentioned, it makes the site look less like a death site. A more reasonable normie might be less intent on slandering the site if they see we're not encouraging suicide; we're just understanding of it, but that the options here are more than just ctb.

Plus, some people feel lonely and like they wouldn't be understood elsewhere and for those this might be a social hub as much as anything else. And I think that should be fine, because, let's face it: Reddit ain't a social hub, I wouldn't say, Twitter is where you go to get into the mental state of wantitng to ctb in the first place, Tumblr is... Tumblr, for better or for worse, and I can't really think of any place where you could talk freely about being suicidal without someone unhelpfully saying "God loves you", "life is beautiful", "it gets better", "don't ctb" or possibly worse, suggesting you're doing it for attention, to manipulate folk, etc. (Actually, I once tried to express on Tumblr that when people share their opinions in a cruel or careless way they might be unknowingly bullying people into ctb-ing, and I got called manipulative and they claimed I was using suicide to manipulate them into agreeing with me. Which was stupid because I never said I would, plus I struggle with it even when I want death. But people assume all sorts of things.)

 

[AshClouds]

I don't think it is counter productive at all. I think it emphasizes that we are pro-choice and not pro suicide. Pro-choice means you should be able to make your own choices whether it is suicide or recovery.

Yes, you go out there in the world and tell a bunch of neurotypical people you're suicidal, they'll get spooked and look at you as some sort of freak. You might even be involuntarily place in some ward.
The subreddits are not very helpful to most people because the reddit algorithms are designed in such a way that only a few posts make it to the top, and the majority of the posts are buried and never gets any replies - which is fine if you're chatting about video games, or making tv show memes, but its pretty bad if you post about your life's problems and it never even gets seen by anybody.
Other places I found (online resources) only offers useless platitudes, and some forums you have to be careful on what you post and any discussion about suicidal ideation is a huge no-no, might even get you banned from the site.
The recovery forum here is pretty good, plenty good advice on how to recover. Also posts from people who recovered, which gets met with congratulatory responses.

So I think its anything other than counter-productive. I always like reading posts from people who recovered.

 

[ApparentlyNot]

When I first arrived on SaSu I was in an incredibly low place. I saw the Recovery section and sort of scoffed at it, thinking it ironic and laughable. I thought that you were kidding yourself if you believed occupying a space used almost exclusively as a means to CTB could be conducive to recovery. I realize now, this place isn't used exclusively as a means to CTB, that's just what I was using it for at the time. I had this idea that "recovery" has to look a certain way - a way that aligns with society's ideals completely, a way that doesn't involve using SaSu... and I've realized, that's just not true. Recovery can look like anything if it makes you want to be alive - to feel secure and safe and maybe even content. Recovery should lead to a life I want to be alive in, and for my weird ass, that life might include talking to friends on SaSu about whatever I or they are dealing with. This is a positive space for me. The solace I find here talking to other people who actually get what I'm going through cannot be understated. If the fine people on this forum find a reason to live and find ways to go on then maybe it's worth considering. I respect and care for and relate to the people here, so their opinions, experience, and advice will hold far more weight than those of someone I consider a normie or of someone who is a pro-lifer.

 

[chloramine]

I think the biggest draw of Sasu is community not death. Otherwise we would all just find a method (if there's something accessible) and leave. Being able to be open and honest about wanting to die without fear of some form of retribution is so important to so many of us. I value that so so much. Recovery definitely has a place within that.

 

[WeirdTheaterKid02]

i agree. i get that people get alarmed when you tell them you're suicidal, but rushing to put them in a psych ward or acting like theyre crazy just hurts. or the half assed "itll get better this is a just a phase comment" drives me insaneeee.

Seriously. The phase comments made me so much more committed to actually wanting to CTB. I can now, after my third attempt say it got better FOR ME. but that's just it. It's such a personal journey and I truly don't believe that everyone was meant to live a "complete" life. If that makes sence. If someone is truly feeling that they will not get better. Say they have chronic illnesses mental OR physical that will never be cured, there should be no reason for people to be saying it will get better. I have type one diabetes and healthy people tell me It will get easier to manage drives me up the goddamn wall