Aspergers and Alcohol...

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I just saw the South Park episode, titled "Ass Burgers", which was obviously referring to Asperger's Syndrome.

It made me think about the delicate relationship that I have with alcohol.

I mean, in a way, it DOES cure my aspergers for a short time... like, if I take a small amount, it removes my social awkwardness and I feel happy in social situations... but, WHY? What is the mechanism of action which causes this feeling?

Are there any drugs which can mimic this effect? Currently I am taking sertraline and propanolol, but they just make me feel like NOT KILLING MYSELF TODAY, but I want to feel more... I want to feel, happy...

I don't feel "happy", or "sad", I just feel "neutral", like, "GREY" all the time... just, no emotion... nothing -__-

Ugghh... Alcohol is the only thing that makes me feel happy, but it's POISON... so it's kind of a double edged sword really

Well, I think it can be a social leveler. Personally, I usually hate the stuff although I confess to the odd one, and regret it almost at once. It's NT's and booze that freaks me out. The buggers are unpredictable enough without adding alcohol to the mix.

I think nobody really knows exactly why alcohol affects some of us so strongly in the kind of way you have mentioned, but I do know my very first drink of alcohol at age twenty-four was like bottled magic: Alcohol immediately took me from insecure, intimidated and hopeless to fearless, bulletproof and ready to conquer the world...and I immediately became obsessed with trying to figure out some kind of way to sustain that feeling.


In my own experience, nothing other than alcohol (or morphine such as while in an ER or hospital) has ever even come close.


The human body can typically deal with small amounts of alcohol (one beer or shot or whatever) spaced out over a period of time, and there are actually two aspects at its backside:

1) Its welcomed effect is a mere illusion that can easily turn into delusion;

2) Certain people such as myself will ultimately discover each drink taken sets off an uncontrollable physical allergy or whatever demanding more alcohol than the drinker had ever intended to drink.

Personally, and now that I have permanently recovered from chronic alcoholism, I am fully convinced it is far better to discover and do absolutely anything necessary for developing healthy, alcohol-free relationships and interactions with others than to use alcohol to try to help pursue satisfying relationships and interactions. However, I doubt I ever could have become convinced of that without having first eventually realized I was drinking myself into the grave.

In about 4-5 years ago I was of age (or rather was able to afford) to drink alcohol in whatever shape or form and before that when I was in school I could see where I wasn't flourishing socially without obviously the alcohol. But when i started university I finally felt the buzz of vodka and coke, parents told me if I were to have first proper drink it would be vodka, so I just bought a load of premixed vodka drinks and downed 4 bottles at once and it was the most out-of-body experience i've had and felt like i could talk to anyone.

Fast forward 3 years and find myself unable to afford alcohol due to other problems i've had i.e. gambling, gaming etc. and only ever drink at christmas whilst having wine with dinner, and take after my parents love of wine.

But i only associate having to drink if I come across an unavoidable social situation. I can't say if it's been easier being sober as generally isolate myself from others as much as possible.

I'm kind of childlike when it comes to alcohol.
I enjoy a glass of wine once in a while if it's sweet like sangria.
I hate hard liquor if it tastes like medicine,
although a shot of whiskey in coffee is okay.
But I haven't had that combination in over ten years.
I don't drink to get drunk, and wouldn't want to.
I'm eccentric enough without alcohol, I don't need it to free my inhibitions.

Four bottles of vodka at once?
Not for me ... I'm small, so it'd probably kill me.
Plus, I would likely hate the taste.

I don't think that alcohol decreases social awkwardness, I think it removes inhibition. I think it increases social awkwardness when more alcohol is consumed, but social awkwardness is expected by other people who are around somebody who drank too much which gives the appearance of reducing social awkwardness. So basically, drinking too much alcohol can be a socially acceptable way of being awkward, asking uncomfortable questions, and invading a person's personal space.

Incidentally, the human brain is not designed to be repeatedly exposed to excessive alcohol.

You might want to look into a natural up-regulation of your serotonin receptors. You are taking an anti-depressant which in theory is already affecting your serotonin system. But it's causing your body to not do it on its own. This is why a side effect of an anti-depressant is depression. Right now you might have zero ability to have a normal serotonin system. You need this for healthy emotions, sleep, appitie, pretty much anything you enjoy in life.

I don't know why mainstream psychological treatment ignores this fact so much. I guess they accept it because they believe it is the best treatment. So they tell people to deal with the depression because it gets better. Your body will learn to adjust. The whole thing seems dishonest to me. I don't think a lot of people understand what those drugs do but they want to feel good so they take anything.

I never liked alcohol but I've done many drugs that made me feel more social. The number one has to be MDMA, Extacy, Molly, whatever people call it now. It's not really something to depend on long term. More like a once to a few times ever in your life thing. But I was VERY attracted to it because it made me a totally different person. I could walk up to a stranger and have 100% confidence. I was not autistic and I felt like people did not treat me like it. But to be fair when I did I was often around other people using it so we were all in a high world where nothing matters and everyone is nice.

There is some compelling evidence now that it actuly is beneficial for things like PTSD or therapy. But for me that stuff gave me what alcohol seems to do for others. People are good, music is fun, and being around it does not bother me at all.

Basically any drug be they anti-depressant or illegal drug is probably affecting either your serotonin, dopamine, or both. These are the happy chemicals. If you want to recreate these feelings try a healthy diet with exercise. There is a natural health supplement called St. Jons Wart. It's been known to help depression and increase the brain's receptors for and amount dopamine and serotonin. The same thing an anti-depressant is attempting to do but it does so in a better way. There are also cases of side effects from that too but my research says they are people who are taking huge doses and expecting fast results. This is a slow process it's best to take small doses for weeks at a time and let the brain heal.

OK, so I have a weird relationship with alcohol...

I don't go to bars, because frankly, the price of the drinks are obscene, and I don't socialize much(if I did, it certainly wouldn't be at a bar. )
So, I go for months and months without drinking, until a day comes where either my obsessive interest in mixing drinks flares up (I blame my Biochemistry background. I like chemistry and mixing stuff up. I then by a bottle or two of specific liquors to mix and master a specific drink. The thing is, I have this quirk where I view a bottle of liquor like a task, and I don't feel satisfied until it's empty. Not all on the same day mind you, but let's say I go through it at a rapid pace, and when I'm done, I don't drink again for many months.

I never really experience the normal feeling that other Aspies report, but then again I don't drink around other people really, so I haven't really tested how it affects my social abiltiy.

I don't drink alcohol and I hate it with a passion. I hate pretty much all mind-numbing drugs in general and alcohol is one of the one of the most, if not *the* most widely abused drug of all. I don't understand why the government wants to put warning labels on cans of pop saying you could become obese and diabetic and rot your teeth drinking it, but not on bottles of alcohol warning you could become an alcoholic and develop liver cancer and ruin not just your own life but your friends and family members too. My mother says drinking a glass of wine helps you digest your food after a meal but I don't understand how that's possible if it irritates your stomach ling and can make you throw up. I don't get people going out and getting wasted and then they're brutally hungover but they're not considered drunks because they only do it once or twice a week. Once or twice is all it takes for you to do something stupid or dangerous. And this is their idea of a great time, and society glorifies it to no end. If you take one bite out of a cookie or spend more than an hour on the computer you're a dismal failure and everything that's wrong with the country. But getting stinking drunk is "cool and fun and okay and macho".

I. DON'T. GET. IT!

Oh well, it's their choice. As long as they respect my own choice to not drink, I have to respect theirs. I guess it's not so bad if they take it small doses. But how many people actually do?

Alcohol doesn't cure your Asperger's. I promise. I'm just as autistic when I'm buzzed (and much more annoying when I'm drunk), except for some of the sensory hypersensitivities (which actually do seem to go away with a couple ounces of rum). Let me get DRUNK, and I will make social error after social error after social error. It's just that it will be blamed on the alcohol instead of being blamed on me (or, if I'm lucky, the people I'm with will be just as drunk and either forget it or find it funny at the time).

What alcohol DOES temporarily cure, is your anxiety. Think about that.

And yes, that would be the reason I'm typing this with a water glass full of Southern Comfort by the keyboard.

I can communicate when consuming alcohol.

I'm mostly mute otherwise.

I don't have a Dx so can't really relate but alcohol was like a magic bullet for me in my teens , I became social when drinking but due to possibly an addictive personality I didn't know when to stop which just led to finding ways to get off my head , I tried it all legal and illegal , some helped , some hindered , when I found something new that worked I would just abuse it until eventually I just completely f****d myself up on drugs hence I have strong feelings about illegal use of drugs as I know only too well about the dangers , I am the cautionary tale that people talk about when it comes to drug abuse.

I have a DX.

Apart from that we are the same.

DM me and we can exchange notes on various drugs.

I can't tell if that's humour or not. I do like to reminisce about my drug fueled past but it's not healthy for me.

There are some interesting and insightful articles here:

Understanding Addiction - A new perspective linking Brain, Behaviour, and Biography