How can I be sure that I was correctly diagnosed with AS?

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I see a lot of Aspie scores on people's profile's. I realize that I have issues other than Asperger's and I was wondering if there was a quiz on here to get the basic idea of whether I was correctly diagnosed. I am also trying to quit drinking and I tend to say and do things on impulse that I tend to regret later, and I am not making any excuses for my actions, I actually want to change some of my ways, and I would like some constructive criticism and honesty, no matter how harsh the truth is. I hope that made sense.

The available online tests out there are only indicative of ASDs and other mental disorders, and should not be regarded as a better way of diagnosis compared to what professionals provide. However, if you suspect your diagnosis is not correct or you might have co-morbid conditions, it's advisable to consult with the professional who evaluated you or seek for another one if you feel you are not satisfied.

Knowing yourself better is always a good starting point to make progress in your life, so maybe a professional or a good friend could help you, or just read here on WP and ask specific questions.

Yeah, this site does help me, but yeah, it is not a substitute for a professional. I still have a lot to learn about myself, or re-learn. All that I know so far is that I need to quit drinking to become the better person that I want to be and remember what I was like before I let the alcohol addiction take over my life. Thank you!

Try the AQ test. It works pretty well for screening purposes. If you're really not sure, you can get a second opinion, but I really just recommend learning about AS and making sure it matches you. If it doesn't, you can find another doctor; if it does match, then you've just learned a lot about yourself, and that's useful.

OK, so you have alcohol abuse of some sort, plus impulse-control problems; both are common problems that most counselors are used to dealing with. Neither one particularly has to do with autism, but there's one connection: That you are on the spectrum (at least we're going on that assumption for the time being) might change how you learn, and because it changes how you learn, it may affect how you learn new skills that will help you cope with these problems. If you want to work with a counselor or support group for these things, try to find one that will be willing to take into account that you are different from typical people and some skills or therapies may need to be adjusted so that you can use them. Of course, because you are human, you have much more in common with typical people than you have that is different from them, but in the places where the differences are relevant, they should be taken into account.

The more you know about yourself, the better. Learning about AS does help you learn more about yourself, especially since you have other issues that you need to be dealing with right now. It's kind of like trying to fix a car--you need to know about the particular model you're fixing so that you can get the right parts. In your case, you've got kind of an odd foreign car and you've got to make sure you know about it when you try to fix it. (BTW: Note that there is nothing wrong with having an odd foreign car. This is intentional. There is nothing wrong with having autism, either.)

I tend to keep to myself unless I am drunk, and that never ends well. I have social anxiety. I am passionate about my art and if I stop doing my artwork I am not myself anymore. I did not go to college or even complete my senior year of high school. I honestly feel as if I am not living up to my potential. I hardly ever sound as if I even have a shred of intelligence left, it is all clouded by the demon alcohol. But then I sober up and beat myself up. I can create stories with my art, I am socially awkward, I am sensitive to certain noises, I cannot put on an outfit on myself that is not black or if a certain style of a plain shirt does not look right. I talk to myself when nobody is around. I was diagnosed with AS when I was 10. I did not know what it was. Then I learned it was a form of autism. I thought: "Autism??! !, You mean the low-functioning autistic boy that I knew from the loony bin I was at as a teen who would take a s***t with the door open?! ! No, that is not me!! !! !!" Keep in mind that I did not know much about autism. But as I learned more, I saw that most autistic people were actually very smart. A lot smarter than me. So I am just a stupid drunk (it seems like that right now). So, yeah, I am confused. When I was just a kid I was obsessed with the little globe that my grandma got me, learning about different countries and their lifestyles, traditions, rituals, etc. But I was just a sober dorky kid who was never able to fit in with her peers. Now I still don't fit in, but I am not the sober dorky kid anymore, I am simply an immature adult with an addiction.