Diary

Has anyone found their OH diaries by total mistake when looking for something else.

No, found my Son’s and put it straight back when I realised what it was.
Massive intrusion to read someone elses diary / private letters IMO

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Ooo the question is though if you find the diary would you read it or respect their privacy to not open it?… :smirk:

That is the million dollar question.

The temptation would be insane!! But for me I’d probably not look as usually there will be something in it that will cause upset or questions or open a whole box of omg :flushed: :joy:

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Just a question that’s all.

If you read something that you didn’t like, then you are stuffed.

  1. Tell them why you are upset and admit what you have done, invading their privacy.
  2. Dont tell them and let it eat you up inside.

No thanks.

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Well done. Good morals.

Well it is good morals really isn’t it. And having respect for the other person’s privacy and to stay away from it. Definitely something I wouldn’t do, invading my hubby’s diary or letters like that. Just a total lack of respect.
But each to their own I guess.

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Good call.

Nope no never we don’t keep them

I leave my diary or journal out all the time become I trust my husband. He would never touch it. But then again i have messy handwriting and my husband is dyslexic, not that he couldn’t but it would be a challenge for sure. I’m always my hubby respects me in this

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I never understood the need to write that stuff down, you know that kind of deeply personal, innermost thoughts stuff. The sort of stuff that will only cause a world of crap when someone finds it.

We all know that sooner or later someone will read it :sob:

From a therapeutic and self healing perspective, getting things down on paper is a very powerful process, as is journaling and writing diaries. In a way it makes thoughts and feelings seem real, and it can also be nice to look back and see what we really thought/felt around past experiences at the time - because our heads are not always most accurate in remembering that stuff accurately.
If you’re writing stuff that will cause a world of crap if someone finds it, then obv have a responsibility to take special care to ensure that those people do not find it - or you have that trust that you know someone well enough that they will leave alone.

If I have deeply personal innermost thoughts that would really upset someone, being in recovery, I need to be aware of that and actually look at whats going on for me around it. If I don’t, that might be what leads to my next drink/drug sess. Today I happen to be 4 years clean and sober, which tells me I am doing something right for me at least, one day at a time.

The other thing that is important to remember, is paper can be shredded, it can be burnt. I have had sponsee’s sharing their Step-4 inventory with me, and I can assure you, there is stuff they never wanted anyone to know about, yet there it is, pen on paper. After Step-5 (sharing their inventory) and taking required notes, a very powerful exercise is putting a flame to it.

Similar in counselling, a ‘no send’ letter can be written to people, and then destroyed. It allows us to get those inner feelings we don’t feel we can express out in the open.

In short, there are ways of writing deepest innermost secrets down with complete knowledge and safety that no one will ever read it, if that is required.

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As someone who has kept countless diaries from the age of 13 up to now, NEVER open and/or read someone’s diary. It is a huge invasion of privacy and it does not matter who the owner is. If someone read my diary, I’d never fully trust that person again.