My sister, Tracy, wrote this great article on Facebook that I thought was worth sharing...enjoy!

FACEBOOK:  THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

I begin this story with the end.  Had I realized that when my sister casually asked me to join Facebook for fun, and that it would be more addicting than….cigarettes…a glass of wine…you get the picture, I would have ended it right there and then.  What started off as a casual and fun relationship, ended in frustration and disappointment, mostly with myself.

It all started with the innocent “Oh, this will be fun to find old friends and show everyone how well I turned out, despite my horrible high school years” relationship.  I started my page, looked through approximately 10,000 photos to find the ones that made me look 10 years y0unger, and of course, show off my beautiful children.   So, the “friending” begins and I find quite a few old friends, even some I don’t remember, and some I don’t really care to remember (and they will say the same about me I’m certain).  I couldn’t wait to get home to find out who had requested me as a friend, spy on what everyone else is doing, and continue my search for anyone that I ever knew, or even looked at on the street.  You never know who will be on Facebook.  This was so much fun.

It took about four months for me to realize that I was addicted.  It was becoming a once-a-day habit to a many-times-a-day habit and I couldn’t stop.   I had to know what was going on in the Facebook world and nothing was going to stop me.  At this point, I admitted I had a problem and knew that this relationship was going nowhere….and fast.  I had to do something.   I had a co-worker block Facebook on my computer at work and told him to never give me the password, even if I had a gun to his head!  That lasted about two months.  Yes, I was back to checking Facebook at work too.   You know what the proverbial “they” say about addictions—one can only help you so far...then you are on your own and you have to be the one to make the change.   

I realized this morning that an old acquaintance “defriended” me and I was crushed.  I was reliving high school all over again and I never want to go back there, ever (this was the 80s so not only did I not want to go back for the emotional aspect of high school, but the clothing and hair).  That is when I realized that it wasn’t worth it and that I couldn’t do this to myself anymore.  I should always trust my instincts, which usually lead me down the right path in life.  From the beginning, I knew this was going to end badly, but I couldn’t stop.  This morning is when I hit rock bottom and I was finally able to see the light (so to speak).  I haven’t quite gained the courage to completely deactivate my account yet, but my sister has changed the password and I told her to never give me the password, even if I had a gun to her head….