# Do you really believe everyone here has SA?



## MobiusX (Nov 14, 2008)

everyone here means members of this site


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## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

I'm sure there are some who don't, so not _everyone_. But I believe that the overwhelming majority do. I have no reason not to give the benefit of the doubt.


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## Paul (Sep 26, 2005)

87.6% of people here have SA.

There are various posters like joinmartin who state outright that they don't have SA and have never had SA.


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## TheCanadian1 (Sep 14, 2009)

I voted yes because some members that may no longer have it, may have suffered from it at one point in their life ... or they're someone who has someone close to them that is affected. Either way, SA is affecting their life. 

Some people have it more severe than others. I myself seem to have a rather mild case of SA compared to most. This forum has changed my views on SA as I used to think I had the worst case! Now I feel rather lucky...


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## sarafinanickelbocker (May 16, 2010)

No, but that's because there are some people here that have flat out said that they don't suffer from SA. 

I haven't been properly diagnosed, BTW. It depends on your definition too.


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## Resonance (Feb 11, 2010)

Some people here have openly stated they are here to ask advice about a boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife or whatever who appears to have SA, similarly there are some here who have recovered from SA and stick around to give advice to others, so obviously not everyone here has SA.


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## shyvr6 (Feb 18, 2008)

No. Some people have said they don't have it like others have mentioned, and I think some people may think they have sa, but it's probably another disorder that's similar to it.


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## rcapo89 (Jun 3, 2009)

This poll is making me paranoid. :um


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## melissa75 (Feb 16, 2010)

I have a mild form of SA. But, I have a lot of general anxiety that can make it hard for me to interact with other people. Either way, it doesn't bother me if there are people on this board that have never had it or don't currently have it.


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## Perfectionist (Mar 19, 2004)

sarafinanickelbocker said:


> It depends on your definition too.


This. Some people have been diagnosed by professionals, some have done their own research, and some have stumbled across this site and in five minutes decided they have it.

It's too hard to put an exact definition to SA, and what levels or anxiety constitute having it, to judge others about it. As far as I'm concerned, if you feel you suffer from it, that's good enough for me.


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## NotRealName (Feb 28, 2010)

I voted no, I have my opinion on some people who post here. I'll just keep it at that.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

I bet most do. But, even if they don't, what does it matter? (Not trying to be rude.)


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## Georgina 22 (Jan 4, 2009)

I voted no. I think some people on here or specially in the saschat are cured from their SA they just suffer from a mild shyness. I think most of the people who go into the saschat or tinychat just go on the site to keep in contact with the friends they have made on there when they were going through SA. I don't mind non SA sufferes staying on the forum, really if they feel they can give us some good advice


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## kingfoxy (Oct 18, 2009)

there are many people on here i hav seen posting pictures of themselves laughing and joking in bars with friends.Talking about going to partys they are probably just a bit shy but i dont belive they have social anxiety like me because i struggle just leaving the house to get my food from the shops and have never had a friend or been to a bar in my llife:afr


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## Kathe (May 17, 2010)

Does it matter what I believe?

I didn't think so.


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## Kathe (May 17, 2010)

rubyruby said:


> Some people with SA may have found a medication that works - this alleviates their symptoms and they can get jobs and have relationships but they still have SA - it's just not as bad as it once was.


I have never been on medications, and yet I have always been able to get jobs and have relationships. Of course, I have trouble holding down a job and advancing at a place when I have one. Also, the relationships I have had have not been all that healthy. Part of my problem was that my social anxiety makes it difficult for me to express what I want from a relationship.

Social anxiety can manifest itself in many ways. You don't have to be a hermit or a shut in to have social anxiety. I was diagnosed with social anxiety about 7 years ago by a professional. I went through years and years of life not knowing I had it.


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## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)

Not all, as has been stated, various members here have openly announced they have never suffered SA and are simply here as a source of support and are actually very helpful with the advice they provide. There are also quite a few members who have more or less overcome their SA or come very close to doing so.

I guess what you really are asking in this poll is if there are members here who are for whatever reason lying about their true reasons for being members and have ulterior motives to which I would say I doubt it, at least no active members anyway.


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## BetaBoy90 (Jan 5, 2010)

I don't believe everyone here has SA, but than again I don't think I show signs of SA on the internet so I can't really judge who has it and who doesn't.


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## Toad Licker (Nov 2, 2007)

:door


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## tlgibson97 (Sep 24, 2009)

I say no just on the fact that there are many like me that are self diagnosed. We can't all be right , can we?

I have a headache right now. WebMD says I have a brain tumor.


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## Johnny_Genome (Nov 11, 2003)

There is a difference between having Social Anxiety and having Social Anxiety Disorder -- there's a mix on these boards.


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## laura024 (Aug 11, 2006)

Yeah, I do. I mean, who would waste their time looking up SA and joining a forum about it if they didn't have the signs of it? I doubt a shy person would spend the time if anxiety didn't really interfere with his/her life. Even if someone came on this site to feel better they are 'normal' and everyone else seems to have SA, there's still some sort of issue at hand.


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## Futures (Aug 27, 2005)

There's certain things that come up occasionally on here that I have hard time understanding or relating to.

Like the thread that asked how many sexual partners you've had. I was quite surprised by how many people chose 10+. To me that just boggles my mind. IMO in order to be intimate with that many people, you'd have to possess a certain level of social ability that I can only wish I had. If that's SA, it must be a very mild case of it.

And here's another thing I sometimes see on here. It usually comes from users with low post counts that just recently registered, make a handful of posts and then disappear to never be seen from again on this forum. They come on here and say they have SA, and then a few posts later, they make a thread about the drama's effecting their active social life. They have a circle of friends, a girlfriend, and they always go out on Friday and Saturday nights to bars, parties, whatever. I just can't relate to that stuff. If I had half of what they had socially, I wouldn't be on here complaining.


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## SusanStorm (Oct 27, 2006)

No,there are probably people here that don't,but so what?

And people can have SA all though they have some parts of their life together.I think some people on here are very judgemental about people and that they can't have SA just because they have a bf/gf,friends or doing something that might seem unlikely for someone with SA to be able to do. Just because people seem succesful on the surface doesn't mean that they don't have problems in other settings.


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## stylicho (Nov 8, 2003)

Speaking from personal experience I think I have overcome SA, for the most part. However, if I have to speak in front of a group all the old symtpoms of panic will usually return ie heart racing, stiff neck etc. Especially if they call my name in a pre-determined manner :lol. Luckily, I don't have to do that very often. But I've overcome a lot of the things that could have really held me back like talking on phones and getting a haircut and stuff like that. So pretty much the only area where SA is still a concern for me is public speaking.


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## stylicho (Nov 8, 2003)

> I say no just on the fact that there are many like me that are self diagnosed. We can't all be right , can we?I have a headache right now. WebMD says I have a brain tumor.


Lol :lol. I think the people who don't have SA are the people who post their pictures and then are never seen on the site again. Perhaps they require the narccicism website lol. But I don't mind that they do. This site should welcome those people.


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## Just Lurking (Feb 8, 2007)

What's the appeal in coming here if you don't have SA? We're just that fascinating, are we?~

I get it if you're a member who's overcome it and you want to stick around. What I don't understand is why someone would come here in the first place if they've never had SA. I don't think it's wrong. It's just a little unorthodox.


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## bsd3355 (Nov 30, 2005)

I don't have it, but I used to real bad. And I have no reason to lie about having SA or not. I'm here because I enjoy posting and talking about SA and other various things. When I signed up to this forum I had SA, but I was also just beginning to get over it as well. Just because someone doesn't have SA I don't see why theyw ouldn't be interested in the people and the topics here. Come on now...


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## lyricalillusions (Nov 29, 2008)

I believe some, if not a lot, of people here mistake shyness for social anxiety. I once had someone on another site argue with me over their claim that shyness & social anxiety are the same exact thing. That is CERTAINLY not the case, but a lot of people here are shy & believe they have social anxiety because of it.


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## antonina (Oct 25, 2008)

I don't think it's bad if friends, family, boyfriends, girlfriends want to come on here to learn about what SA is. 

I also agree with other posters that shyness is not the same as social anxiety, which is a disorder in the DSM IV. It has to limit your life in some ways to be a disorder. It also is different from introversion which just means you recharge by being alone but you don't necessarily have anxiety.

I do agree that all people at one time or another feel social discomfort but it is a matter of degree and how much it is impacting your life.


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## strawberryjulius (Jun 28, 2009)

rcapo89 said:


> This poll is making me paranoid. :um


Me too. :b

I've had a few people accuse me or imply that I don't suffer from SAD and it's a little upsetting. I think that's one of the problems with this site. Sometimes I feel unwelcome because on here I don't appear anxious enough. It's also annoying that people make assumptions when they _*haven't even met you!*_

I was diagnosed last year so NEER NERRR. 

As for the question, I can vote yes or no but I'd say that MOST people have SA or some other valid reason to be here. There's never any shortage of trolls, though...


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## danberado (Apr 22, 2010)

Attention:

There are communists on this message board, if you see any suspicious behavior like having a dating history, or basking in attention, report to your local authorities immediately. Keep the website for the diagnosed, don't let any riffraff in.

It's a witch hunt!


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## Wehttam (Nov 6, 2009)

I think many have not only different degrees of SA but also different ways of portraying themselves. I for one have experienced the dilemma of appearing too strange for the popular people and too intimidating for the outcasts, there's no winning. Also some online feel less anxious, in reality I get panic attacks in most social situations but online I deal with nerves by typing more than I should, like what I'm doing here, I'll shut up now .


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## coldmorning (Jul 4, 2007)

I think SA in general is very misunderstood. So some do come here thinking they have it when they don't.


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## sarafinanickelbocker (May 16, 2010)

coldmorning said:


> I think SA in general is very misunderstood. So some do come here thinking they have it when they don't.


I'm not taking offense at this statement as it is pretty benign. Please understand that I am being sincere when I ask...so, when does someone have SAD?

I believe there are varying degrees of it, but when is it _not_ SAD?

I really am curious.


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## BetaBoy90 (Jan 5, 2010)

No and it's time to really find out who's got it... AND WHO DOESN'T!!!!!!!!

I feel like this is the closest we'll get to a Schindler's List 2... who wants to be Hitler???


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## sarafinanickelbocker (May 16, 2010)

And what difference does it make if they don't? So what? :stu


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## coldmorning (Jul 4, 2007)

sarafinanickelbocker said:


> I'm not taking offense at this statement as it is pretty benign. Please understand that I am being sincere when I ask...so, when does someone have SAD?
> 
> I believe there are varying degrees of it, but when is it _not_ SAD?
> 
> I really am curious.


Do you really think all 10,000+ members here have SAD? I'm sure one or two might just be shy. Some might join to talk politics or whatever. Some might even join because they want to find a shy mate. Some might have had SA in the past and overcome it (therefore no longer having SAD) and want to share their experiences. Yes it's possible.

It doesn't bother me at all. I don't even think about it. Certainly not asking for a witch hunt. Nor do I want to even try to define where the boundary is. But the poll asked for an opinion. Is it ok for me to state a real opinion, or should I be pc'd into saying something else?


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## sarafinanickelbocker (May 16, 2010)

coldmorning said:


> Do you really think all 10,000+ members here have SAD? I'm sure one or two might just be shy. Some might join to talk politics or whatever. Some might even join because they want to find a shy mate. Some might have had SA in the past and overcome it (therefore no longer having SAD) and want to share their experiences. Yes it's possible.
> 
> It doesn't bother me at all. I don't even think about it. Certainly not asking for a witch hunt. Nor do I want to even try to define where the boundary is. But the poll asked for an opinion. Is it ok for me to state a real opinion, or should I be pc'd into saying something else?


I was trying to avoid this. I told you that I had no problem with your response and I meant it. What I said was NOT and is still not an attack. No, I don't think all members here have SAD, because many here have admitted that they don't. What I want to know is when someone can finally be considered SAD. You said that it is misunderstood...

You don't even have to answer it yourself...it's just a general question for someone who would like to answer (or not).

Sorry Coldmorning. :blank


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## Deathinmusic (Jun 5, 2009)

I don't even believe *I* have SAD. I'm quite sure what I have is AvPD. I feel like I have begun to understand the differences better, and it seems more and more like that is what I have. There are some very good threads on that topic right now in the secondary disorders section.


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## danberado (Apr 22, 2010)

For clarification, I was poking fun at the concept of blowing this thread out of proportion, not members who validly differentiate between SAD and other forms of social anxiety. I was emulating false hysteria, not being subject to it. 

Just thought it would be funny if us SASer's had cold-warlike fear of having extroverts in our midst.


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## sarafinanickelbocker (May 16, 2010)

coldmorning said:


> I'm sorry as well. But 1. I do think SAD is misunderstood by many and 2. this results in it getting less attention and study to the detriment of those who do have this crippling disorder.
> 
> When people go around saying 'omg, I have SAD' because they went on a date and their palm got sweaty, it makes the actual disorder seem frivolous. Or I see jokes about it on tv talk shows.
> 
> ...


Oh okay. Well, please don't be ticked. I really REALLY didn't mean to offend, k? Anyway, I guess where I'm at is that I have not been properly diagnosed as SAD. I decided to get help, but the process is taking forever (months between steps). I will say that I fear future homelessness if I don't get some of this resolved. Anyway, I was just looking for additional info.


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## antonina (Oct 25, 2008)

danberado said:


> For clarification, I was poking fun at the concept of blowing this thread out of proportion, not members who validly differentiate between SAD and other forms of social anxiety. I was emulating false hysteria, not being subject to it.
> 
> Just thought it would be funny if us SASer's had cold-warlike fear of having extroverts in our midst.


Social anxiety is not an introvert or extrovert thing although more introverts seem to have it.
Introversion and extroversion are personality traits. An introvert energizes through alone time and an extrovert energizes through contact with people.

Extroverts can also have social anxiety if they are obsessively worried about what others think of them, they may be less avoidant. I have a friend who is an extrovert but worries constantly about what others think of her and so spends more time alone than she wants too.

Oprah Winfrey is said to be an introvert but obviously has no social anxiety. John Carson who was on before Jay Leno, is an introvert. There are many social introverts, but they still like alone time to recharge. Social anxiety is an unhealthy fear of what other people are thinking of you.

Introversion and extroversion are different from social anxiety disorder.


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## XxArmyofOnexX (Aug 13, 2007)

danberado said:


> Attention:
> 
> There are communists on this message board, if you see any suspicious behavior like having a dating history, or basking in attention, report to your local authorities immediately. Keep the website for the diagnosed, don't let any riffraff in.
> 
> It's a witch hunt!


*gets the hunting dogs*


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## danberado (Apr 22, 2010)

antonina said:


> Introversion and extroversion are different from social anxiety disorder.


Poor word choice on my behalf. Should have gone with "social butterflies".


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## MindOverMood (Dec 12, 2009)

Some form of it, yes. Either past or present.


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## silentcliche (Jun 30, 2010)

I give everyone here the benefit of the doubt.


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## VIncymon (Apr 16, 2009)

Nothing is 100 % so I voted no.

but to avoid a "my S.A. is more valid than yours" type argument, i will refrain from more commenting.


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## lyssado707 (Oct 29, 2004)

No. Not to disordered levels. It's fine tho cuz this site can help ppl with mild SA/shyness issues too.


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## Paul (Sep 26, 2005)

I hereby award Invisible_girl +2, bringing her up to +1 total. Do you really think someone who has a bf/gf can't be more messed up than you on the inside? Even if they're diagnosed, medicated, self-harming, and their social anxiety problems eventually drive them to suicide it doesn't count to you because they a have particular external measure which you declare makes them not have SA? SA isn't just about avoidance.*

* Personally I've been avoidant and don't have those external measures, but I'm not going to tell anyone that makes my condition more serious than theirs, because I don't know what they're going through on the inside.


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## odd_one_out (Aug 22, 2006)

I've had several relationships. I also have severe SAD (and AS). I posted copies of all my diagnoses in my profile photo album recently. Many people here think in black and white about this issue. ETA: I'm also considered disabled enough for social services to grant funds for a personal assistant and I require a daily carer.


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## Hot Chocolate (Sep 29, 2008)

I have been officially diagnosed by a doctor in a mental hospital stating that I suffered from SA and OCPD.

I can honestly say that even though I do have part-time college and work. I still do suffer some symptoms of anxiety like for example, someone wrote a complaint about me stating that I talked too fast and was rushing him. Another was at college, when this girl that reminds me of my past bully was staring down at me and I immediately got really flustered.

I still suffer from a tad bit of reclusiveness like me even requesting for lesser number of days at work. Can't really stand the social scene and still like being alone most of the time.


Doesn't mean that someone has a 'life' , it is all candies and roses. It took me very long to reach here and honestly speaking, until now, I still don't find it easy.


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## MoonAngel (May 3, 2010)

No, not really... I myself am more of an ''avoidant personality'' type... but that's very similar to social anxiety anyway..


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## MeladoriMagpie (Jul 12, 2010)

danberado said:


> Attention:
> 
> There are communists on this message board, if you see any suspicious behavior like having a dating history, or basking in attention, report to your local authorities immediately. Keep the website for the diagnosed, don't let any riffraff in.
> 
> It's a witch hunt!


This made me lol over and over and over.
:boogie
I am seriously in the best mood now. Thank you, danbeardo


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## low (Sep 27, 2009)

Yes actually, anything else is generally uncomfortable though.


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## SusanStorm (Oct 27, 2006)

Hoth said:


> I hereby award Invisible_girl +2, bringing her up to +1 total. Do you really think someone who has a bf/gf can't be more messed up than you on the inside? Even if they're diagnosed, medicated, self-harming, and their social anxiety problems eventually drive them to suicide it doesn't count to you because they a have particular external measure which you declare makes them not have SA? SA isn't just about avoidance.*
> 
> * Personally I've been avoidant and don't have those external measures, but I'm not going to tell anyone that makes my condition more serious than theirs, because I don't know what they're going through on the inside.


What's this +1 and - thing anyway?

I don't care if people on here don't believe that I can have SA because I know that I have it.Ok,so I've been in a few relationships and I am able to go to school and work,but how can you make that a reason for me and other people to not have SA?
Do you know how much I've struggled over the years in social settings?Have you experienced my panic attacks?Can you even realize how much work I've put in to get better and try to overcome social anxiety?
No,you haven't and just because people aren't just like you and share the exact same problems as does not mean that they can't suffer from the same mental disorder.Can't people just stop judging people because you have no ****ing idea of what others struggle with.
I'm tired of this 'My SA is worse than yours' discussion.This forum should be for support and not people judging others because they think that some aren't eligible to suffer as much as they do.


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## danberado (Apr 22, 2010)

Invisible_girl said:


> I'm tired of this 'My SA is worse than yours' discussion.This forum should be for support and not people judging others because they think that some aren't eligible to suffer as much as they do.


I much prefer the 'My pity party is more happening than yours, cause I brought some booze!' discussions.


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## redtogo72 (Jun 7, 2008)

Invisible_girl said:


> What's this +1 and - thing anyway?


+1 = I agree with you. -1 = I disagree.


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## danberado (Apr 22, 2010)

Isn't that what these are for?

:yes:no


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## SusanStorm (Oct 27, 2006)

danberado said:


> I much prefer the 'My pity party is more happening than yours, cause I brought some booze!' discussions.


Lol :boogie


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I'm pretty sure out of some 36,000 members there must be some who don't have SA.


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## Dane (Jul 27, 2009)

I voted "yes", because I believe that the vast majority of people here do have SA to some degree. There are probably an insignificant few who don't.


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