Alcohol (ism) and AS?

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I was (I thought) a full-blown alcoholic for around a decade.

My wife threatened to throw me out (again) and this time it seemed a realistic threat.

I stopped drinking.

Haven't touched it in 2 years + and don't think about it, don't go to meetings, happily drink non-alc beer when I want. It is now a total non-issue.

That shouldn't be possible according to AA etc. I should be a 'dry-drunk' who is constantly obsessed with booze/on the brink of relapse.

Could the drinking have been part of AS behaviour rather than alcoholism? I have researched and researched and cannot explain why behaviour...

If you are content to not be drunk and you've done it without a structured support group, don't let the philosophies of these programs make you think otherwise!

Could alcoholism be associated with ASD...? Yes and no.

There are some people who could argue that drinking alcohol could be a narrow interest and repetitive behavior done to self-soothe. There is a lot more wrapped up in alcohol abuse/addiction that just the behavior, of course. The chemical impact on one's brain and body plays an important role.

It's more likely, IMHO, that substance abuse on the whole is more indicative of an underlying anxiety and/or mood/depressive disorder (both of which are common secondary disorders associated with ASD).

The AA also say that you need to believe in a higher power (a god) in order to stop, which is wrong because I know one atheist who was able to stop after years of drinking frequently without having to relinquish his inner power to any other being and was able, instead, to empower himself.

Good on you for proving them wrong as well. Sometimes I get the feeling they want to transfer people's dependence onto themselves instead of alcohol.

There are quite a number of people that can stop drinking just by a decision. The monolithic stereotype of an alcoholic serves the media, but the reality is much more diverse.

When I did counseling and someone asked if they were an alcoholic, I would answer that if you went a month without a drink and never even thought about a drink, then alcohol played a very small part of your life. However, if you could not go an hour without thinking about your next drink, then alcohol plays a very big part of your life.

Just as there is diversity in the frequency of alcohol use, there is diversity in the ability to decline.

There were many WWII vets who were alcoholic because their experiences were so painful that they used what was available to block out darker thoughts. There can be Aspies who find their world painful enough to use alcohol as a blocking agent. Like the WWII vets, they may not fully appreciate the problems that are caused may be greater than the issues that are blocked.

I do not see any neurological issues that would make Aspies more or less vulnerable or making quitting more or less difficult than for anyone else.

Many have been critical of AA's philosophies. AA say you are powerless over alcohol and that you can't quit by yourself. You have proved them wrong.

Isn't help with problems associated with alcohol and other drugs usually in a group setting of allistic people and therefore incompatible with people on the autism spectrum. Actually may of the mood disorders and/or anxiety that is secondary ot tertiary to autism are likely caused by allistic people in the first place which drives people to drink or other drugs.

I didn't know that AA had ulterior motives. They want alcoholic people to believe in God to quit drinking? Relying on others is not a good way to quit an addiction.

I do hear that alcoholic people are alcoholic until they die. When they are not drinking, they are just staying away from alcohol temporarily. They could go back to drinking any time.

However, if you don't need your willpower to keep away from alcohol and simply don't have the desire to drink, then you are probably not an alcoholic any more. So that "alcoholics are alcoholics until they die" statement must be wrong.

I think it's possible to say that an autistic person's alcoholism is part of autism in the sense that autistic people tend to seek routines/repetition and may end up having drinking as part of their routine.

All of that AA "You can't do it alone; you need God" nonsense IS nonsense, but it can be very good and helpful nonsense for many people -- especially for people who had previously given up trying.

"You can't do it without God" is meaningful to someone who really thinks they can't do it and are blaming themselves and being blamed by others for their failure. It removes the guilt and gives them a fresh start at quitting.

As for ASD and alcoholism, I don't think they're related. I think they just happen together sometimes.

I don't think that's correct, though it's a widespread misconception.

I'm not an alcoholic myself (in fact I'm teetotal ), but I know a number of alcoholics, and among those several atheists who are firm supporters of AA. They've had to explain this many times, and they always say you can choose anyone or anything you like as your "higher power", it doesn't have to be god; for them, the fellowship, i.e. their fellow AA members as a group, is their higher power.

The point, I think, of the "higher power" thing is that alcoholics tend to think they're in control and have it all figured out; there's a certain arrogance that goes with the drinking which is extremely destructive in and of itself. So the idea is that in order to be helped, you have to understand that if you're an active alcoholic, you're not in control and you don't know it all and you're not, at the point where you pick up a drink, all that smart; you need to learn to accept advice and support, and that's where accepting that there is a higher power of some sort comes in.

AA is not for everyone, a lot depends on the people at any given meeting, and I'm certainly not shilling for them, but those people I know who found it helpful are all great, intelligent, warm-hearted people. And atheists.

I agree with this, I had long been wary of AA philosophy without really knowing why. I read an article a while back that summed it up, but I've been unable to find it. The gist was
1) Reliance on a higher power (doesn't work for those who aren't religious, and means relinquishing personal power)
2) The concept of being powerless against alcohol( If that is true then there's no point fighting it. Also relinquishes power ; you've basicly quit before you've started.
3) The reliance on others to get you through. Not necessarily a bad thing, but difficult for an Aspie who, as someone said, has many of their problems caused by their dealings withother people.
4) It focuses on alcohol. You go to meetings, you talk about how long it has been since your last drink, rehash all the bad experiences, and then if you get through it , you mentor other alcoholics. Better to focus on something other than alcohol.

I had (at least ) one family member who was alcoholuic. I actually went to one Al-anon meeting as a young adult and found it thoroughly depressing. One woman (who also a newby) left in tears because they convinced her there was no hope for her husband

I swore off alcohol when I accidentally drank it at a party. My uncle saw that I was spitting it into the trash can and he looked at my cup and said "You aren't supposed to drink that you know." It tastes like, well, bitter and nothing. Why would anyone drink the stuff???

But the food at those Al-Anons meetings is delicious. I go to them for dinner and then leave before the meeting starts.

^ Is that food free? Are non-alcoholics allowed to eat the food, too? Or do you have to pretend to be an alcoholic?

Sometime's I like to get drunk just to take off the edge (ie, sensory overload.). But I have to be extremely careful. My mother was an alcoholic and it killed her in the end. So I don't know if I inherited that addiction or not and don't want to take that risk.

I don't get it either - most versions taste horrible, and they make me feel dizzy and crap to boot. But apparently, it affects other people in a more enjoyable way...


Al-Anon is for relatives/friends of alcoholics, not for the alcoholics themselves. From what little I've read about them, they sound very... odd. I understand the point of a 12-step programme for someone with addiction problems, but why you should do a 12-step thing if your problem is that someone else is an alcoholic I really don't get.


I consider myself really lucky that I don't enjoy drinking, as my dad and both his siblings were alcoholics, so I'd definitely be at increased risk of addiction if I liked it.

I think being aware of the danger is probably half the battle. The thing that always confused me the most about my folks is that each could see the other two ruining their lives, and none of them (all smart, educated people) ever drew the obvious conclusion and got help for themselves.

I heard vodka cruisers are really nice but then I heard they're for girls so I've never tried one.

Normally it costs $5 but sometimes I don't have to pay. Either way, $5 is pretty cheap for an all you can eat buffet with dessert.

I don't get it either but I've never sat through one of their meetings (because I thought they would be boring). From what I hear, they say you're powerless to change your friend/relatives bad behavior.