Aspies and chemical dependency, is there a link???

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Me and everyother Aspie i know is heavily dependent on marijuana... is this true alot or just my area and aspie crowd LBS

I smoke cigarettes and drink coffee. They are mild stimulants but not really mind altering. I don't think substance dependence is directly related. More likely circumstantial.

I would predict that Aspies would be at higher risk of chemical dependency than the general population due to anxiety issues and the presence of comorbids such as clinical depression, bipolar disorder, and ADHD, which often lead to attempts to self-medicate. Personally I am a tee-totaller and have never tried a psychoactive drug that has not been prescribed to me. However, if I had ever experimented, I suspect I would have become hooked, because of my depression and anxiety issues. My brother ruined his life with alcohol and hard drugs. The damage to his organs from alcohol, toxins, and hepatitis-C is probably irreversible. Marijuana and beer were the gateway drugs in his teens and it took him until his 50s and repeated stints of rehab to get sober. He is on antidepressants now and has told me on a couple of occasions that he thinks that he was self-medicating for depression. Some folks on here dis taking prescription meds, but it's a heck of lot better than becoming an addict.

By the way, you had discussed your sleep problems. By using marijuana, you've altered your neurochemical balance. Though people typically use marijuana for relaxation and often sleep, this article that I found suggests that with long-term usage or more than light usage, it tends to act as a stimulant: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sle ... -and-sleep. It also depends on the strain of marijuana being used. If medical marijuana is legal and available where you are, it would be best to shop for a strain bred for sleep purposes, if you feel you can't leave it alone. If you go to a physician, you need to be honest with him/her about it and any other psychoactives you are using. I'm not condemning you, but whatever we take into our bodies can have unintended consequences.

I smoked a few acre's worth when I was in my 20s, then I got married, had a family and couldn't afford to waste money on weed, so I gave it up. I never felt 'dependent' on it, I just enjoyed it and it helped me socialize more comfortably. It was one of those things I did when it was available, and did without when it wasn't. These days, I no longer have the connections to even acquire it and thanks to Dubya, if you get busted for any drug offense whatsoever, you lose your SS Disability forever.

During that period of my life, I also had access to many other recreational chemicals, but most I chose to leave alone. For instance, I never got what cokeheads saw in blow that was worth spending such outrageous amounts of money on. It had very little effect on me, other than making me rather tense and jittery, like too much coffee, and that's quite unpleasant. Fortunately, I saw a written recipe for meth and wouldn't touch that rat poison with a ten foot pole.


Current research is showing Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms to be an excellent and effective antidepressant and that certainly reflects my personal experience. Alas, that, too was ages ago.

OTOH, I do have the bad habit of using alcohol as a sleep aid. I just don't trust laboratory pharmaceuticals with all their side effects. However, that's the only time I drink, right before bedtime. Never during the day, even on barbecue holidays, when it's acceptable.

I did drugs for 20 years. Ended up in several psych hospitals and even attempted suicide. Talk about two lost decades!

I did more drugs than a laboratory rat in my younger days, not to mention drinking enough beer to float a carrier while in the Navy. But other than tobacco and piper methysticum, I haven't used anything else in years.

I tried cannabis two or three times a teenager but did not like it.

I did have a drinking problem in my early 20s but quit 13 years go, tried drinking again recently when I came off antidepressants but did not like it this time around so didn't bother continuing with it.

I smoked regular cigs for 20 years but quit 6 months ago.

I don't consume any chemicals these days...except for the occasional paracetamol if I need it for pain relief.

If the only people you hang around with are aspie stoners (and if you're an aspie stoner yourself), then the very nature of your sample population will only serve to confirm your bias.

I am an aspie, and I have no such chemical dependencies.

I doubt it. The only chemical I at all "use" is caffeine. I try to only use it when I need it so I'm not dependent. When I'm driving, working, and I'm really tired. I just grab a Mountain Dew. It's against my LDS religion to drink coffee, so of course I don't.

I think I came close to getting hooked on Monster Energy and Venom drinks.

Now I just drink coffee.

I have no chemical dependencies.
I figured pot didn't have an affect on me when I tried it because I'm an Aspie.
I've smoked casually in the past and and didn't get hooked. I lost interest and stopped.
I enjoy a couple beers but really am incapable of excessive drinking. I'll either puke or fall asleep first.
I don't know how people can actually be alcoholics, sounds like too much work.
I drink a couple cups of coffee a day and an occasional energy drink if I didn't get enough sleep.
Never been on meds of any sort other than antibiotics for something.
I prefer to not be in an alter state of mind anyway. I prefer to think clearly.