CW: SH and ED, and Disordered Twitter.
TL;DR: Title, but they need to leave SHtwt and EDtwt in order to do so, which could mean losing their friends.
I will refer to this individual as R.
R and I met online through a mutual interest in around 2022. Beginning in the middle-ish of 2023, I took a long break from social media, where I would communicate with most of my online friends, and have just recently got reconnected with R.
R's experience is completely different from what I went through, but I empathize with them and want to help them.
To preface, in 2023 I quit SH and recovered from my ED. I started to SH (with the actual intention to inflict "deserved" pain) because I learned about through social media, and the same goes for my ED.
After reconnecting with R, I discovered that R struggles with SH and ED and I have a firm belief that their involvement in SHtwt and EDtwt is a huge reason why they continue their harmful behaviors. (And if you don't already know what those acronyms mean, they are types of disordered Twitter communities that encourage SH, ED, and other harmful behaviors.)
I want to provide as much support to R as I possibly can, but they live in Malaysia and I am in North America.
R has expressed to me that they feel guilty for their behaviors, but "the urges keep getting to me" and "I don't think I can stop anytime soon."
We are both spiritual (believing in God). R has not yet expressed that they truly want to recover, and of course I will not directly force them to do something they don't want to do.
However, I do want them to realize that recovery is possible and is worth it, despite all the challenges and obstacles and relapses and sacrifices.
Like I mentioned, they are heavily involved in disordered Twitter communities, and I believe that a big step in the recovery process would be to leave those communities.
I personally have never involved myself in Disordered Twitter, although through second-hand experience I know how addicting they are — there is a constant validation, glorification, and praise for harmful behaviors like SH and ED. I can imagine how euphoric it feels to get that kind of attention, but in retrospect, it is just awful.
I don't know what else to say. And I don't know why I care so much. I'm worried I won't be able to help them realize the value of recovery. I'm still healing, but it's so much easier to do that when you're not reliant on SH and ED.
Also, R lives under their parents' care, and I don't know what the healthcare system is like in Malaysia. So it might not be as simple as telling them to "get therapy" or something. Plus, their family is seemingly unaware about R's mental health state. But being the type of person I am, I have a hope for them. And I care so much. I told myself I wouldn't care for online people this much anymore, but I still do.
I want R to get better. What should I do?
TL;DR: Title, but they need to leave SHtwt and EDtwt in order to do so, which could mean losing their friends.
I will refer to this individual as R.
R and I met online through a mutual interest in around 2022. Beginning in the middle-ish of 2023, I took a long break from social media, where I would communicate with most of my online friends, and have just recently got reconnected with R.
R's experience is completely different from what I went through, but I empathize with them and want to help them.
To preface, in 2023 I quit SH and recovered from my ED. I started to SH (with the actual intention to inflict "deserved" pain) because I learned about through social media, and the same goes for my ED.
After reconnecting with R, I discovered that R struggles with SH and ED and I have a firm belief that their involvement in SHtwt and EDtwt is a huge reason why they continue their harmful behaviors. (And if you don't already know what those acronyms mean, they are types of disordered Twitter communities that encourage SH, ED, and other harmful behaviors.)
I want to provide as much support to R as I possibly can, but they live in Malaysia and I am in North America.
R has expressed to me that they feel guilty for their behaviors, but "the urges keep getting to me" and "I don't think I can stop anytime soon."
We are both spiritual (believing in God). R has not yet expressed that they truly want to recover, and of course I will not directly force them to do something they don't want to do.
However, I do want them to realize that recovery is possible and is worth it, despite all the challenges and obstacles and relapses and sacrifices.
Like I mentioned, they are heavily involved in disordered Twitter communities, and I believe that a big step in the recovery process would be to leave those communities.
I personally have never involved myself in Disordered Twitter, although through second-hand experience I know how addicting they are — there is a constant validation, glorification, and praise for harmful behaviors like SH and ED. I can imagine how euphoric it feels to get that kind of attention, but in retrospect, it is just awful.
I don't know what else to say. And I don't know why I care so much. I'm worried I won't be able to help them realize the value of recovery. I'm still healing, but it's so much easier to do that when you're not reliant on SH and ED.
Also, R lives under their parents' care, and I don't know what the healthcare system is like in Malaysia. So it might not be as simple as telling them to "get therapy" or something. Plus, their family is seemingly unaware about R's mental health state. But being the type of person I am, I have a hope for them. And I care so much. I told myself I wouldn't care for online people this much anymore, but I still do.
I want R to get better. What should I do?
