DrugAbuse.com Forum Rules and Policies
Revised March, 2015
Important: Please help us keep DrugAbuse.com a positive and safe place by respecting our forum rules and policies.
Before you participate in our forum conversations please read the forum rules and policies very carefully. We have a strict zero-tolerance policy for forum rule offenses in effort to maintain a safe and respectful place for our members. We reserve the right to remove offenders of any of the forum rules and policies below and their content at our discretion without warning. We may offer a warning to first time offenders and serious offenders will be immediately and permanently removed from our site. We also have a very strict zero-spam policy and mechanisms in place to eliminate it. Spamming is not tolerated and violators will be immediately be removed from the site. Our zero-tolerance policy provides our members with assurance that they will be able to share openly and honestly in an understanding community environment and provide relevant and useful information without having to read advertisements.
Forum Rules
You Must Join to Post
To post in the forums you must create an account using a valid email address that you will need to confirm.
You May Only Have One Account
We only allow one site member per IP address in order to prevent spamming and abuse of our website.
Protect Your Identity
We recommend that you do not use your full real name when creating an account in order to protect your own privacy. Although you need to be a member of the site to post, anyone can read the content here on our site even without logging in. If you choose to use your full real name to represent your professional opinions or practice do so at your own risk. Using your first name or an alias is recommended. The username that you select will appear to both guests visiting the site as well as site members. Your profile and forum contributions are publicly viewable, so be sure to protect your identity to the best of your ability.
Do Not Post Personal Information
Your privacy is extremely important to us. In addition to protecting your identity by using an alias we recommend also that you never post any personal or geographic information in the forums, including phone numbers, addresses, places or work, school, etc. This also includes the names or personal information of other people.
Respect the Privacy of Other Members
Under no circumstances should any member ever divulge or solicit personal information from another member (ask other members to post phone numbers, email addresses, personal info, etc.).
Respect the Opinions of Other Members
Our community is centered around compassion, respect, open-mindedness, support and respect for our each others' privacy. Our community managers moderate the forums daily with this in mind and we are diligent about upholding the integrity and values of our community. We have a zero tolerance policy for any forum activity that resembles harassment, verbal abuse, bullying, or overt criticism toward other community members.
Posts and Comments Must Be On Topic
This is a forum devoted to providing education, information and awareness to people struggling with substance abuse and their families. Discussions relating to other off-topic issues, including but not limited to political discussions, religious debates or proselytizing, or any other content that potentially detracts from our mission to help others and provide a safe, comfortable environment for our members will be removed from our site. Any post or comment that does not support this mission is subject to deletion, and the poster will be warned. Multiple warnings will result in the poster's account being suspended.
Do Not Use Profanity or Vulgarity
Our forums attract people from all walks of life and all ages. We strive to maintain a respectable, mature and safe environment for everyone to enjoy. Please refrain from using profanity, vulgarity or any other offensive language in the forums.
Do Not Post Discriminating or Offensive Content
We do not permit content that is discriminating or sexual in nature, or that may be considered obscene. We also do not permit content that may be deemed racist or hateful to other members. This includes written content, profile pictures, private messages, or status updates.
Do Not Plagiarize or Violate Copyright Laws
We have a zero tolerance policy against using other peoples’ ideas and content and claiming it to be your own. This includes plagiarizing other members’ content and/or posting content from outside sources that is not properly cited or referenced.
Do Not Post Illegal Content
Posting content that could be considered illegal in nature is forbidden. Due to the nature of this site, certain images or references relating to drug use could be considered illegal. We will use our discretion in removing questionable content.
Do Not Provide Medical or Psychiatric Advice
Providing medical or psychiatric advice in our forums is strictly prohibited. The forums should not be used to provide or solicit medical or mental health advice of any kind. Healthcare professionals are prohibited from providing professional medical or using the community to explicitely solicit or represent your services (it's perfectly fine to say you're a professional if you are one--just don't practice here). This includes diagnosing others, providing treatment plans, recommending medications, herbal remedies, dosages, etc..
Do Not Ask for Medical or Psychiatric Advice
The DrugAbuse.com forums are not intended to be a source of medical or professional mental health advice. Neither the community members nor the Community Listeners are permitted to provide any level of medical or psychiatric consultation in the forums. Please respect this rule by not asking for advice in these areas. If you are seeking medical or psychiatric help please consult with a qualified medical or mental health professional.
Do Not Troll
Trolling consists of repetitive posting of incendiary, antagonizing or non-productive messages in the forums. Please be mindful to engage in thoughtful, productive dialogue that reflects the core values of our community.
Do Not Promote Drug Use or Other Illegal Activities
Since our community is aimed at awareness and prevention of substance abuse, we naturally do not advocate substance use of any kind, neither illegal or prescriptive. Your decision to use any substance is a personal matter that you must weigh carefully in your life. Regardless of your stance on any substance in particular, or your current drug use, we prohibit the explicit promotion of drug use of any kind, or the participation in any other illegal activities, in the forums.
Do Not Post Advertising or Spam in the Forums
Our forums are intended to be a place of support and guidance, and are not a place for members to post links to other products, services or platforms. Advertising of any product, service or platform in the forums is strictly prohibited and monitored closely by our community managers and members. You may post a link on your profile page to your own personal website if you are an addiction treatment professional or other practitioner in the drug/alcohol treatment-related space.
Do Not Flame or Cross Post in Forums
When posting a thread to the forums only post in one forum (the most appropriate one based on your best judgment). If your post is not in the most appropriate forum the community managers may choose to move it to a different forum.
Do Not Post Off Topic Content
Posting content to promote other agendas (personal or professional) other than the topic contained in the DrugAbuse.com forums is prohibited. Posts must contribute to the conversation and not derail the discussion into other unrelated areas. The community managers reserve the right to move or delete posts that are irrelevant or miscategorized.
Respect the Community Listeners
Our Community Listeners consist of volunteers who are committed to providing a deeper level of emotional support in the forums to members who may be struggling with a particular issue. Our Community Listeners are present in the forums on a daily basis and provide a listening ear wherever they can without providing medical or psychiatric help. Please be nice to them and support them in helping other members.
Do Not Post Suicide Notes
If you are feeling suicidal please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. The DrugAbuse.com forums are not intended to serve as a suicide hotline or resource for emotional health support. Content relating to suicide or thoughts of suicide can trigger negative reactions in those dealing with substance abuse issues, and therefore are prohibited from our forums. Posts that contain explicit mentioning of suicide or thoughts of suicide will be removed.
Do Not Sexually Harass Other Members or Make Personal Advances
The DrugAbuse.com forums are intended to be a safe and supportive environment for people to discuss issues that could expose their vulnerability. Our Community Advocates enforce a zero tolerance policy against sexual harassment or personal advances of any kind in the forums. This includes making sexual comments or advancements, sharing sexually inappropriate content, using lewd language, asking personal questions about sexual activity/orientation, or other sexually inappropriate behavior.
Respect the Private Message Feature
The private message feature is a way to connect privately with other members. Please use discretion and courtesy when sending other members a private message. The private message feature is not to be used for soliciting product or services.
Forum Policies
- Our community managers actively review all forums and monitor content for violation of forum rules.
- If any forum rules are broken our community managers have the authority to delete, edit or move any content posted in the DrugAbuse.com forums.
- Violators may be provided with a warning or their account will be deleted completely without warning at the discretion of the community manager, depending on the severity.
- The only personal data collected from DrugAbuse.com members is your email address. No personal information other than your email address is intentionally stored on our site or servers and your information will never be sold or rented to a third party. We use your email address to send forum notifications and occasional forum-related communications. We will never spam you.
- Neither the DrugAbuse.com community nor the Community Listeners are affiliated with, nor do we endorse any one specific treatment approach, treatment philosophy, or treatment facility. The community is open to anyone seeking information on drug and alcohol abuse-related issues.