These guidelines are really easy if you simply remember….be courteous and speak from your experience, your feelings vis a vis your ADHD-challenged relationship.

Please read this carefully; your continued membership depends on it. 

1. Maintain Group Privacy.
   What is said in the group stays in the group.  No sharing of posts. No exceptions. This can result in removal from the group.
2. Follow basic courtesy and readability:

• End each post with the name and initial Gina used to introduce you. (This also helps us to follow your story)
• Use punctuation; break up long posts with paragraph breaks.   (We’re not sticklers for grammar or spelling. We just want to read your posts!)
• Personal attacks and argumentative behavior are unwelcome. Please keep a civil tone.  
• Please avoid controversial topics that can create discomfort for other members.
• Please avoid giving advice or judging another member’s situation.

3. Please refrain from promoting (directly or indirectly) any “free” or for-profit ventures, including commercial websites of any kind, tele-seminars, coaching, “conference”, etc.  

We realize you might have genuine questions about some of these ventures. Trouble is:

• We cannot screen out those joining the group solely to promote themselves or others.
• Moderators cannot vet every post along these lines.

4.  Please focus on finding your voice:

If you’re unfamiliar with AA-based groups, this is a common feature. Speak from your experience, your feeling, without fear of being judged or criticized.

That is an invaluable benefit of this group.  We might be “not heard” at home or even among friends and family. We might have our words and intentions mangled. We might lose sight of which way is up. This is where you get grounded in your perceptions and feelings.

That means avoiding link-sharing, too:

The Internet and social media is full of links, many of them contradictory, unprofessional, and upsetting. We focus on what’s important, not more distractions.

We ask that members not rely on the group for a solid education in ADHD, including issues such as medication, Executive Functions, sleep, etc.. That is beyond the scope of this group. 

Gina will pipe in when she can. But please remember: Piecemeal answers are not a solution. Most of us need context and grounding in solid step-by-step education.

5. Please share your particular experience of ADHD without:

• Categorizing all people with ADHD as “they”  
• Telling other members what to do 
• Providing information about medication as fact rather than your ADHD partner’s experience or one physician’s opinion
• Providing any links!  Again, just avoid it.
• Even if not literally sharing the link, introducing concepts found on the Internet that question the legitimacy of ADHD, offer alternate explanations, non-expert opinions, etc.

6. When you can, welcome new members and provide support/validation to the posts that resonate for you.
7. When possible, try remembering to categorize your posts with hashtags in the subject message:

• To help you focus your thoughts/questions and
• To make it easier to search the archive by subject.

We know you are often stressed and rushed. So, please don’t feel overly burdened by this. Just try to do it when you can!

Examples of complete subject messages:=

• #PROGRESS: We finally found a great doc
• #ARGH:  DW (dear wife or DH, dear husband) let the car run out of gas again
• #QUESTION: What’s better: medication or therapy?
• #SELF-CARE: I’m going for 20-minute walks every evening

Thank you for your cooperation — and for making ADHD Partner the safe and smart haven it has been since 2004.

Gina and Moderators