Are the effects of alcohol on the Aspie brain the same as...

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neuroshits
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10 Mar 2013, 2:38 pm

Are the effects of alcohol on the Aspie brain the same as the Nt brain?

Personally I don't drink and I know not a huge amount of people with Aspergers syndrome tend to drink or so i've read, i'm sure many aspies do but if you look at the effects of alcohol on the NT brain can usually make a person more social and talkative as well as it can influence them to do things he or she would never even think of doing if they were sober
Other common effects listed below i'm just very curious if any research has been done in this and if anyone can give any insight into this

Impaired Judgment
Promiscuity
Loss of Friends
Regret
Embarrassment
Ease of Tension



minervx
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10 Mar 2013, 2:47 pm

For me, not really.

The way I act everyday is pretty much how WP would classify as "NT".

When I drink, I become less social and more introverted. And I'm very extroverted when sober.



aspiemike
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10 Mar 2013, 5:47 pm

minervx wrote:
For me, not really.

The way I act everyday is pretty much how WP would classify as "NT".

When I drink, I become less social and more introverted. And I'm very extroverted when sober.


I found myself being the same for the most part as well. A couple drinks aren't gonna hurt me and neither is that nice little buzz. It's the overdrinking to the point of being drunk that bothers me.



seaweasel
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10 Mar 2013, 7:07 pm

i cant say for sure as i am not an expert. But i feel like an NT when i have alcohol in my system =/. I can talk, understand small talk, non of my obsessive interests take over me and i actually laugh at things i would not normally laugh at when i am not under the influence of alcohol.



Jinks
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10 Mar 2013, 7:11 pm

Everyone's different, but I don't respond to alcohol like other people at all (and often people don't believe me when I explain this and try to make me drink it anyway, something which makes me a little touchy about the issue).

To me anything alcoholic tastes unpleasantly of chemicals and immediately gives me a headache - not the next morning, instantly. This is sometimes accompanied by dizziness/room spinning, but not in a good way. I'm not sure how the room spinning could ever be considered good, but for some reason drunk people seem to enjoy it. I am just as bewildered by the fact that other people seem to enjoy drinking as they are by my insistence that when I do it I experience only unpleasant effects. I think it's one of my hypersensitivities, like certain strong smells.

On the other hand I have seen some ASD people say they succeed better socially when they drink, so I don't think there is a standard formula for AS and alcohol.



Last edited by Jinks on 10 Mar 2013, 7:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

seaweasel
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10 Mar 2013, 7:13 pm

I think alcohol makes us talk more because alcohol is a social inhibitor. I believe aspergers people have trouble communicating due to past experiences (well in my opinion anyways)



seaturtleisland
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10 Mar 2013, 10:27 pm

Wait a second while I go check...



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11 Mar 2013, 12:36 am

neuroshits wrote:
Are the effects of alcohol on the Aspie brain the same as the Nt brain?



probably

Quote:
<snip>
Other common effects listed below i'm just very curious if any research has been done in this and if anyone can give any insight into this

Impaired Judgment
Promiscuity
Loss of Friends
Regret
Embarrassment
Ease of Tension


You forget Belligerancy & Fights.
Also, Vomiting.

Jinks wrote:
EThis is sometimes accompanied by dizziness/room spinning, but not in a good way. I'm not sure how the room spinning could ever be considered good, but for some reason drunk people seem to enjoy it.


"reality sucks. I will modify it." sort of mentality. Being in a different state of thought is novel, and different. So it is fun to mentally/social explore while in such a state

Quote:
I am just as bewildered by the fact that other people seem to enjoy drinking as they are by my insistence that when I do it I experience only unpleasant effects. I think it's one of my hypersensitivities, like certain strong smells.


People drink alcohol for the feelings, NOT the taste.


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Tori0326
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11 Mar 2013, 9:41 am

I've said to my partner before that I ought to have one drink in my system all the time because it takes the edge off my Asperger tendencies. Of course, this isn't practical.
If I'm socializing I'll usually have a couple drinks, which also helps me with my social anxiety, but I really have no desire to get drunk. I get nauseous before I ever get that far anyway.

I went to a party last month and I didn't really enjoy myself that much because I didn't understand a lot of the jokes and innuendos. In social situations like that I wind up just smiling and nodding my head and hoping they don't catch on that I don't "get it".

Contrary to Warsie's statement, taste is important to me. I like higher quality liquor (Tanqueray, Ketel One, etc.) or beer (usually import or microbrew). I don't drink Budweiser, etc.



izzeme
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11 Mar 2013, 10:15 am

i suppose the internal effects of alcohol are the same on any human brain; alcohol is a chemical poison, and all humans have simular chemical buildup.
however, becouse our initial situation is different, the outward symptoms of drugs and poisons are different: look at ritalin, the active ingredient is a booster partydrug in neurotypicals (very simular to speed), yet it is used to calm down those with ADHD



lee60101
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11 Mar 2013, 8:55 pm

i used to drink alot and i was always the same as i was sober. now i tend to stay away from people who get drunk as they annoying to me.



Marybird
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11 Mar 2013, 9:36 pm

I get a pretty good buzz from 1 bottle of non-alcoholic beer. :)



seaturtleisland
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11 Mar 2013, 9:42 pm

I think it would affect me in a similar way to a NT if it weren't for my medication. My medication intensifies the effects of alcohol but it would do the same for a NT. It only takes a single pint to make me feel some very noticable effects. My hand-eye co-ordination suffered so badly from a single pint that when I tried to eat icecream I got some in my hair. I felt like my toddler self being such a messy eater under the effects of alcohol. I could easily miss my mouth.



goldfish21
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11 Mar 2013, 9:55 pm

The effects of alcohol (ethanol) should be the same, however even among NT's the effects vary a bit. Some people can't drink much w/o huge effects, others have much higher tolerances either by nature or nurture. (because they drink a lot.) The more blood volume you have (muscle mass) the more you can drink w/o becoming intoxicated.

As for ASD, the only reason various alcohols may have a different effect on some of us is if you happen to be sensitive to salicylate acids. They vary in amounts in different types of alcohol. The only ones with 0/negligible amounts would be vodka, gin, or rye. After that, the lowest content would be in dry white wines, which contain less than 1/3rd the amount of the lowest beer. Spiced rums are among the highest.

So, certain alcohols may have more amplified effects on some of us, but in those cases it's like the salicylate acid content and not the ethanol, and the effects of it wouldn't be the effects of ethanol - but could be confused for someone not being able to "hold their alcohol," by the casual observer depending on what symptoms occurred & how sensitive someone is or isn't to salicylates - or to sulphites in wine, or colours/flavours/aromatic compounds etc.


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12 Mar 2013, 9:24 am

Stress and drinking is a bad thing for me. If I'm stressed and want to unwind with alcohol, I almost always drink too much, which results in self-harming behavior. Up to 3 drinks is ok, after that it's gambling.



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12 Mar 2013, 9:54 am

neuroshits wrote:
Are the effects of alcohol on the Aspie brain the same as the Nt brain?

Personally I don't drink and I know not a huge amount of people with Aspergers syndrome tend to drink or so i've read, i'm sure many aspies do but if you look at the effects of alcohol on the NT brain can usually make a person more social and talkative as well as it can influence them to do things he or she would never even think of doing if they were sober
Other common effects listed below i'm just very curious if any research has been done in this and if anyone can give any insight into this

Impaired Judgment
Promiscuity
Loss of Friends
Regret
Embarrassment
Ease of Tension


I think the symptoms you describe are consequences of drinking too much, rather than just drinking generally. I drink socially, but never more than three pints at a time, and never more than three times a week ( as per government guidelines re.units) The only one that I experience on a regular basis is ease of tension. Being aspie I don't always feel comfortable around people (especially in large groups) and a moderate amount of booze makes it a lot easier for me to socialise.