Why Do So Many On The Spectrum Not Drink Alcohol?

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More than a couple of drinks at a time can cause me a meltdown (although that didn't stop me from doing it anyway for years). Now that I know what's going on with me, I've become a lot more cautious with alcohol - a single glass of wine on occasion is my limit.

For me, I am hyper sensitive to sensory information and very high functioning, intense type of ASD person.
Which can be a hand full for some.

As i guess i am too sharp witted for some (although i don't mean to upset people by making them look silly, i do not do things out of nasty intentions generally, i am just playful. but you know, not everyone likes the playfulness or constant bombardment of information).

So, yup. I do not need stimulants when awake, apart from one decaf or weak coffee a day.
Otherwise i am wizz'ing as if i am on illegal drugs like crystal meth or something...

So if anything, i need my senses to be slowed down. Alcohol and other types of downers such as low dose occassional use tranq's can help with that.

Ironically i actually love music and make have made music in one shape or form over the years.
However, in order to get the best out of the listening and sometimes playing / recording experience.
Ocassional use of alcohol really helps.

I also find that I am able to handle busy areas if i am intoxicated with alcohol, around people.
Alcohol often makes people lose their inhibitions, so after a few drinks, you may find yourself relax enough
to not be so worried about the people around you and your senses may be blunted so that you may not
be as hypersensitive to the sounds, or should i say, your brain is slowed down so that it simply stops processing so much info and you can relax and enjoy the music.

Once i have had a few drinks, i can lose my inhibitions so much that i am comfortable around people in a pub or a club setting without feeling weird or stressed about being alone, which i do get when i am straight and alone.

So, worth a try. In terms of worrying about your own safety, perhaps you could experiment at home.
I personally recommend grey goose vodka, although be careful with the amounts, as its strong stuff.
Perhaps grey goose is also too expensive to start. The better quality stuff however tastes less alcoholic.
And can be mixed with loads of things, (vodka that is) such as fruit juice, sugar syrup, cola, you name it.

If you use a lot of soda with a shot or two vodka, it shouldn't get you too drunk (if you don't drink too many)
and will also taste fairly transparent. Especially the better quality stuff.

Although daily use of alcohol with antidepressants can stop the antidepressants working and thus, cause you to get depressed and then become dependent on alcohol. If you drink only once a week or a few times a month.
There shouldn't be too much problems.

I would drink a lot of water the next day, and if you feel like you have drunk too much or are too drunk
that you feel sick, then drink water when you are drunk, and perhaps even eat something such as chips or pizza
as food will soak up the alcohol and help stop your blood sugar levels from dropping.

The next day, if there is one. I recommend drinking lots of water, even if you feel ok.
As water is the most important drink on the planet.

Hope that advice helps.

The main reason why I don't drink is because I have severe emetophobia (fear of vomiting), and irrationally I think that more than 2 drinks is going to give me a hangover.
Also I don't like the feeling of losing my consciousness by being drunk.

On the other hand, not being a drinker does make me feel lonely because so many people do drink and have had the experience of being drunk, and it's rare to find another person like me who has never had that experience, particularly a neurotypical. I live in a culture where if you're not interested in drinking, people think there's something wrong with you.

Drinking and taking drugs are a way for many people to cope with stress, anxiety in life. Introverts are often on the Autism spectrum and have other issues like social anxiety and social phobia. Social interactions increase stress and anxiety and drinking and taking drugs helps reduce anxiety and stress and enables people to relax and feel more comfortable.

I love beer. I love the taste of it. I don't drink nearly as much of it as I used to before I started taking psych meds 21 years ago. I enjoy beer 4 times a year. One beer at an Oktoberfest celebration, one on Thankgiving with my turkey dinner, one on Christmas with my turkey dinner and one on Easter with my turkey dinner.

I am one of the rare specimens of folks who used to smoke weed, but never smoked cigarettes/tobacco.

Probably because I had no friends in highschool, but did have friends when I started college. So the peer pressure factor didn't kick in in my life until later (after I was too old to be fascinated by cigarettes, but was still young enough to be curious about pot).

So the lack of peer pressure is a factor among spectrumites with alcohol as well.

Also autistics have enough klutziness and lack of executive function with out getting drunk.

But the thing is there are also FOR autistics to like booze: like to ease social interaction, and social anxiety. So there are factors working both ways.

I prefer not to, unless I want to feel out of it, and weird.

I do not drink alcohol because I am allergic to it. In my case, it causes internal bleeding. My father’s side of the family tree has always had a low tolerance of alcohol. One of my cousins is basically on the floor drunk after half a 3.2% beer. My mother’s side is nearly the opposite in alcohol tolerance.

It’s not a rare thing for both Spectrumites and NTs to use alcohol as a crutch.

While social drinking might be rare among people on the spectrum, I doubt that solitary drinking is any less among spectrumites than non-spectrumites.

I can’t stand the taste of alcohol plus I don’t like the feeling of losing control and I have never been one to conform to peer pressure so I just don’t drink it.