Aspergers and alcohol

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indeed.

I agree - I'm the same. I've lost a few freindships as a result of past excesses, but for me complete abstinence is just not an option as 24/7 sobriety drives me nuts with loneliness and boredom. This is why the likes of AA are no use to most aspies in my view. They're only designed to treat the symptoms of alcoholism rather than the underlying cause, and they preach that total abstinence - rather than the more realistic goal of moderation - is the only alternative to being a full-blown alkie.

The book is pretty insughtful btw - I'd definitely recommend it if you feel there's a strong correlation between AS and excessive boozing.

I can't drink very much anyway. Never have been able to- if I have anything that affects my brain, I overreact to it- take half dose of paracetamol as otherwise get ill, and so I can get tipsy on a single small glass of wine.

A lot of people rave about ganj, but I was never impressed with marijuana. I have given it several tries as opportunities arose, some hits were allegedly 'potent' material, too. The best I got was an hour-long smile-a-thon, and rolling around on the couch because it was relaxing. I found the effect similar to Klip Dagga (leonotis nepetifolia), which I have used since age 24 instead of alcohol. In my line of work (botany, ethnobotany) I find there are so many more effective psychoactive (and legal) herbal supplements out there, so I've kind of given up on cannibis species for now - unless it becomes legal, that is, then I'll explore it some more. I would recommend a Klip Dagga, Bali Kratom, Scelentium, or Nymphea 20x extract over marijuana. The only problem is finding really potent material - most of what you find retailed on the internet is weak and grossly over-priced. I use a number of these from time to time, to help null the stress in life. None of them seem to have any backlash to their periodic use. I find it best to switch between things so as not to become attached to any particular one. I employ them sparingly, too.

Not the best alternative unless you really want to retreat into your shell. I've done almost everything over 60 years and can more easily name what I have not done than what I have done. Acid was my favorite (the real stuff, not today's very dangerous substitutes).

I've gone through several drinking stages in my life and at one time in my 30s drank like a fish... up to 2 six packs nightly. It got old over time and I got to the point where I would open the first beer then totally forget about it because I was so wrapped up in my special interests. Eventually I quit drinking for all practical purposes, not out of a need to do so but simply because the effort of opening those beers and pouring them out at the end of the night was futile. Then along came diabetes (actually fading away with me now) and I could not drink the beers that I did not want to drink anyhow. I still have a six pack in my refrigerator that I bought about 6 years ago. Occasionally now I will drink a half shot of rum diluted with water to help relax my mind and make sleep easier but other than that I no longer drink or use any of the substances of youth and escapism.

I am mostly afraid of becoming like my mother, who drinks wine like a fish for as long as I've been alive. I have memories of her cynicism, paranoia, guilt-trips, anxiety, taken out on my and my brother when we were kids. The best inspiration not to drink is to show people what chronic use brings out. She made me feel very guilty about my mental incapabilities, like such a chore.

Also, when I stopped drinking, it took 4-6 months to reach full mental clarity again. The residues and after-effects of alcohol stay present in the system a very long time. At least, they do for me. There is a more confident sense of balance once past the 6-month sobriety hurdle. If one can make it to there, one probably will have a firmer grasp on one's feelings, and other internal literacies. I always encourage people not to start, because for me the recovery period has been so long.

What is this fake subsitite of acid people talk about?.....I mean as far as I know there is still actual acid in existance, and according to my counseler when I told him of my experiance on it he said it sounded like it was legit and not a fake subsitute. But I am no expert or anything.

A.A. has kept this Aspie sober for 3 1/2 years.


Huh? I don't even know what this means. But, I think the opposite is true, actually.


True. I've never met anyone connected to A.A. that believes moderation is at all realistic. I certainly don't.

I can't drink alcohol, not at all. When I drink, I'm much more withdrawn, angry, depressed. I have an addictive personality, even if I said I could handle having a drink now and then, it would eventually lead to more. I had problems with alcohol in the past, I went to the Addictions Foundation and AA, and I've been clean for coming up to four years.

Well, I'm glad they've been of use to you, as an individual But from the most recent statistics I've read, they don't have a high success rate in Europe even for NTs. 50 per cent of AA members drop out before completing the course, and of those that do, more than half relapse. A 20 per cent success rate isn't that impressive, IMO.

On your second point, I find it hard to envisage any detox treatement working for an aspie without specifically taking AS into account as a factor. Some aspies are less prone to alocoholism because of a lack of desire to conform to peer pressure. Conversely, some are more vulnerable because of the comfort they take in familiar routines (of which drinking can be one). But either way, AA isn't tailored towards those on the spectrum and is unlikely to address being on the spectrum as a contributor towardsalcohol/drug overuse.

Lastly, I've found that moderation IS realistic, provided you don't set yourself too high a target too soon. I've managed to reduce my booze intake fairly substantially over the last couple of years just by systematically and gradually cutting my intake (from every day to every other day, from five beers to three etc.), whereas other people I've known who've abruptly tried to stop altogether have ended up relapsing and sinking back into abuse again.

It's possible that cultural factors come into play here too. From visits there I've found that abstaining from drink is much more commpnplace in the USA than Britain - as an example, teetotal rock stars like Gene Simmons, Ted Nugent or Henry Rollins are fairly common America but virtually non-existent here . Perhaps there's a puritanical streak in American culture that's evolved from the fact that many of the early settlers emigrated there because they thought their original environments were too feckless and undisciplined. My background's Scottish, and you may or may not have have read how a proposed bill to introduce a minimum tariff for beer in supermarkets was unanimously voted down by the Scottish Parliament after ten minutes of deliberation(!)

My aspie friend and I used to drink every day. There was a time when I enjoyed alcohol but know days I don't like it. It dumbs down your cognitive and physical ability too much. I can't focus on my special interest properly under the influence. One of the main reasons I drank every night was because I have insomnia.

Several times people have bought me tones of drinks because they think it would make me social (I don't talk much at all). Its kind of a shame alcohol doesn't work that way for me . I stay just as quiet sober or not sober.

I don't even like cannabis any more but I think that is because I'm depressed.

Last edited by Sheldrake on 19 May 2011, 5:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.

In my view, a 20% success rate -- however you could measure that -- would be AWESOME! My understanding is that A.A.'s success rate is much, much lower (but just as high as any other program's success rate). But, let's take a step back. I'm not even sure how "success" is to be defined, here. So far as I know, there's no A.A. "course" to drop out of -- it's more like a lifetime project. The one marker I've seen people use is "still sober after a year." Now, I've been sober for 3 1/2 years. So, one might consider me a "success," right? But, not if I go out and drink tonight! What do you consider "success" in this area? Can someone who's been a "success" relapse and then cross back over into being a "failure"? Personally, IDK. I'm always interested in peoples' views on it, though.


You may be entirely right. I've thought a lot about how my own AS did or did not contribute to my alcoholic drinking, and I haven't been able to come to any firm conclusions. I have my suspicions, but they're only that.


Moderation is realistic for whom? Problem drinkers (i.e., alcoholics) or heavy drinkers? One fairly decent definition of an alcoholic -- at least so far as I'm concerned -- is someone who is unable to moderate his drinking. Said another way, I became confident that I was an alcoholic when I realized that, once I started drinking, I couldn't (or wouldn't -- about the same thing) stop. (Until I passed out, that is.) I would be tempted to argue that someone who is able to moderate is not an alcoholic. Hell, what does it matter? If you can moderate, then do it and keep enjoying drinking! I would if I could...


I think there is definitely a significant difference between American and European attitudes toward alcohol. I think I'm a little too close to the whole thing to be able to see clearly exactly what they are, but I'm certain that they exist.

Sure, we have a greater number of vocal sober celebrities, but we have lots more celebrities to start with, right? Besides, an awful lot of sober celebrities just seem like massive relapses waiting to happen. (Do I even need to name names ... Charlie Sheen?)

I love the taste of good beer and some other drinks but I rarely ever get drunk. I use to drink excessively at one time but my better judgement made me lighten up on it.

This is just like me, though I'm 27. I have tried AA several times, but have been unable to stick. When someone insists I call them every day I run in the other direction, and some people in AA are very persistent at trying to bring in the newcomer. I abstain from drinking now, and I hope I can stick to it on my own.

I never drank with people, loosening my inhibitions around other people always scared me. I drank alone, and I drank to excess.

I drank quite a bit whilst I was on holiday but when I'm at home I'll drink less. I go to the pub much, much less than I used to, for instance.

I would be even more specific - there's a much bigger difference between British and Irish attitudes to alcohol compared with other Northern European nations and those countries in Southern Europe (except Malta, which have more British/Irish influences with drinking but also contain the predominant Southern European culture also).

The problem with the British and alcohol isn't that we drink a lot - compared to the other member countries of the EU we're at about the halfway mark - but that there is an expectance that violence and disorder accompanies it. In cultures where drinking is more relaxed, this is less of a problem.