Last night I met someone at the meeting who was relatively new to the program. We started talking after the meeting and walked together to the parking lot still talking. I told her some stuff about myself, not program related, but related to my career.

This morning I got a public comment on Twitter from someone saying "My friend met you at Top Foods yesterday".

I responded, "I don't shop at Top Foods I shop at the local Co-op."

She wrote back, "Well someone pretending to be you took my friend's email address".

Then she posted stuff that I had said to her friend on my Twitter page.

One of the things was taken completely out of context and made it look like I was insulting a lot of people.



Is only the stuff said during sharing time confidential or is what we say before and after meetings confidential too?

I don't want her to feel like she can't come back to the meetings but I am pretty mad.

Any advice?

Sharing is confidential during the meeting and you extended trust after and this woman abused it. It always is a choice and a newbie would not know about or be as beholding to the traditions as a program person is. I think you have learned a lesson here about people and acceptance. You can only control you. The other lesson is about what we say, its not our words and meaning, it is the perception of our words and meanings.

Some good advice I got from someone who was in 12 step for a good while was that we share in a general way in meetings, and we share personal specifics with our sponsor or people we have known in the program for a while and have come to trust. I am sorry this happened to you. I shared some very personal things with someone I then had a falling out with and I am pretty sure she is airing my laundry in public, but I can't afford to take on a vendetta or waste my time on it. Live and learn, and sometimes people will just do dumb stuff.

*agrees with everyone*
Don't let this incident damage your program.

I learned to let people say what they want. True or untrue, and just walk w/my head held high. Don't let anyone stop you from doing what you want.

thank you all. i will let it go.