ASD who actually like to drink alcohol

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MaxE
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13 Mar 2020, 5:47 am

This is for anybody here who actually enjoys drinking alcohol and may even do so frequently or possibly even in large quantities on occasion, or has done when younger. Do you fear you might be an undiagnosed alcoholic? Have others suspected you of alcoholism? Do you feel odd because people on the spectrum aren't "supposed to" like alcohol?


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TheHindsightMan
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13 Mar 2020, 9:33 am

I drink 4 beers most days of the week. Just to numb myself before sleep, I don't ever drink to excess. I don't actually like the taste. Also I detest alcoholics, my father was a violent one. I consider myself an alcoholic but do not feel the need to drink more than I do and I don't think It really hurts anybody except me.



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13 Mar 2020, 11:10 am

I very much enjoy drinking. I'll have a glass or two of wine most weekdays and drink various alcohols on the weekends to the point of getting drunk. I really like the taste of beer, tequila, and rum most of all, but I can't drink hard liquor straight--always a cocktail. I actually find alcohol to be a special interest of mine. I love the process of distilling liquor and brewing beer and wine. I even brew my own honey wine. I've been drinking since I was 15 (now 28) and don't find myself to be an alcoholic.



AspiePrincess611
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13 Mar 2020, 12:08 pm

When I was younger (like college age) I occasionally drank to the point of intoxication. It was the only way I could deal with social situations. The problem is, when I drink more than one or two drinks, I act very silly, loud, and obnoxious. I will say absolutely anything that pops into my head. I completely lose my filter. I have embarrassed myself, family members, and significant others this way. I stick to only one or two drinks now, and only on rare occasions. It also interferes with my medications and more than one or two drinks will make me nauseated and give me a headache. I do, however, enjoy the "buzz" that one or two drinks gives.


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CockneyRebel
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16 Mar 2020, 2:14 pm

I like a good German beer once every two to four months. I make a point of limiting myself to that because I'm on psych meds and I have Diabetes.


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Kiprobalhato
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16 Mar 2020, 2:17 pm

oh i think i don't just LIKE alcohol...heh...i like a good wine or mixed drink every now and then, or perhaps more often

totally don't have a problem, no way...not at all


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WildColonial
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16 Mar 2020, 10:11 pm

I liked it a little too well. Fortunately I found my two recovery programs and am coming up on seven years sober.


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17 Mar 2020, 11:49 am

WildColonial wrote:
I liked it a little too well. Fortunately I found my two recovery programs and am coming up on seven years sober.


Congrats! That's great to hear!



Sahn
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17 Mar 2020, 1:03 pm

I drink most days but it's something that seems to be decreasing without any effort on my part, yesterday I had a can of beer, that seems to be about the current intake. The same thing has already happened with weed, I used to smoke it on a daily basis but the inclination has fallen away to such an extent that I'd rather not spend on it.



queenofdoomydoom
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17 Mar 2020, 2:18 pm

I drink about 2 beers a day, at least when I can afford it. I HATE the taste beer. And yes, I know caps mean yelling, that's how much I hate it. I prefer the taste of wine and that's the only alcoholic taste I like, but I don't drink for taste, I drink to unwind from constant pretending to be like everyone and anxiety. Many of my episodes have been avoided through it. At first when I was yuonger I hardly drank but when I did it was fun. Now it helps me on a daily basis. I wish I didn't drink, I know it's not healthy, but what can you do when I've known alcoholics and hopefully I'll never turn as hostile as them. I don't know yet if I have ASD, I'm getting conflicting oppinions from different doctors and awaiting for a referral to a psychiatrist. But I am curious on this issue and like learning about other's experiences.



AlanMooresBeard
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17 Mar 2020, 4:40 pm

Me and my family go through 3 bottles of wine a week on average. I also drink beer and whiskey on a fairly regular basis. I rarely get drunk because I hate feeling hungover the next day. I know my limits and I usually stick to them.



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17 Mar 2020, 5:34 pm

WildColonial wrote:
I liked it a little too well. Fortunately I found my two recovery programs and am coming up on seven years sober.


Yup, me too. Before I knew I was autistic, it was my main tool for functioning socially. It gave me all sorts of social skills, or so I thought. Actually, it allowed me to shut off my social filters, and make an obnoxious fool of myself. lol


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JimSpark
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17 Mar 2020, 10:48 pm

Yes, I actually like to drink alcohol. I almost always drink at least 3 or 4 beers a day, usually more if I don't have to go to work the next day and worry about how much sleep I'll need to get. I usually only drink the light-colored mass-produced beer, as it tends to be fizzy and refreshing when you drink it, and strangely for me, I can drink a dozen of them in a night and still not get a hangover the next day. And for me to want to drink beer, it absolutely has to be VERY COLD -- just a couple degrees above freezing is best.

While the beers I described above don't give me hangovers, those that people call "microbrews" do something weird to my head, and give me headache-y hangover symptoms even BEFORE I go to bed :( They're interesting, and some taste truly exceptional, but to me their usual side-effects don't make them a good fit for me (plus they're usually much more expensive).

Drinking beer reduces stress and helps my mind switch from the meltdown-inducing mode it's in during my workday, into the mode where I can slow my mind down and focus on just those thoughts and activities I enjoy. I open a beer a few minutes after I get home from work, but while I drink it, I usually sit and/or work in my back yard or do chores in the house. It's never been fun for me to just sit on my couch doing nothing while drinking beer after beer. When I drink beer, I'll most often be moving around and doing some light physical activity, or else just standing up.


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rundembear
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19 Mar 2020, 11:48 am

I had never heard that autistic people aren't supposed to like alcohol. In general I am skeptical of most claims that involve suggesting something or other is broadly true for autistics. Yes, there are a few areas of commonality, but I think it really is just a few.

As to alcohol, definitely something I like. I usually have a beer at least a few nights a week. I like cocktails. I like wine.

Now, I will say that my ASD does mean that I don't like a lot of the stuff that has a mass audience. Really pale American lagers? Not enough flavour. Most wine? Not enough flavour. I really only like really bold wines, and prefer dark beers.

I thought that one of the cool things I learned when I was reading blogs and things before I got assessed was that sensory processing disorder can include smell and taste. I tend towards having reduced sensitivity in both of these senses. So I like stuff with big flavours, or I add hot sauce.

I like it when I actually can get something out of the smell of a wine, but this tends to be easier with the 'bigger' wines.


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Fern
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19 Mar 2020, 12:41 pm

MaxE wrote:
This is for anybody here who actually enjoys drinking alcohol and may even do so frequently or possibly even in large quantities on occasion, or has done when younger. Do you fear you might be an undiagnosed alcoholic? Have others suspected you of alcoholism? Do you feel odd because people on the spectrum aren't "supposed to" like alcohol?


HAHA! So just liking alcohol automatically makes you an alcoholic? This seems like it has nothing to do with ASD to me. It seems more a fundamental misunderstanding of the definition of alcoholism.

I like alcohol. I know I am not an alcoholic because I don't drink that much (0-5 drinks in the average month). I also don't like to drink when I am alone or feeling emotional. I only really drink around friends/family at social functions where alcohol is served. I don't feel like I need an alcoholic drink in any specific context either. Sometimes it just tastes good, sometimes it's just nice to goof around with other goofy people you know. That's all.



Caz72
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19 Mar 2020, 7:11 pm

I used to drink alcohol when i was a teenager and early 20s but i stopped as soon as i started driving buses as a career

I dont drink now because it doesnt agree with me both physically and mentally


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