Finally managed to join the forum!

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Greetings all, I'm Mike from England.

I hate to say it out loud but I'm in my mid-40s, officially diagnosed as somebody on the ASD spectrum in 2024 despite speculation since 1988 or earlier... I've tried to sign up to wrongplanet.net on a few occassions but for one reason or other have not made it through the gates. Is there a bug with emails being sent out? Searched high and low for some but appear to have been verified now, finally.
I'd quite like new people to talk to as a lot of my most trusted friends over the years have either moved on or gone missing and I'm trying to manage my addictions and therefore some of the more typical ways guys my age make new friends are a bit too risky for me, at least while I get used to being sober whilst surrounded by drunks!
Pleased to meet you.

Cheers.

Welcome to WP! I hope you decide it helps.

Welcome to WP

A wide range of views and communication styles here so the contributions of some members are likely to resonate with you!

Howdy Howdy Howdy

Welcome

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Hi Mike and welcome aboard.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

MikeCheque, Welcome to Wrong Planet.

You wrote, "a bit too risky for me, at least while I get used to being sober whilst surrounded by drunks!"

I can understand how that can be a problem in surviving life. I live in a very small town in the U.S. There are two stoplights in our town. Near the center of town there is a small coffee shop where you can purchase a coffee or a hot chocolate. They provide about a 100 different varieties. It is run by a group of former people with problems with alcohol or drugs. A group normally meets together in a back room of the facility. THEY SUPPORT EACH OTHER. They work themselves out of their addictions. It is like the group called Alcoholics Anonymous.

So breaking free from you addiction can be done. It takes a lot of effort, an unbelievable amount of effort but you can break free.

Welcome to the planet

With reference to your nick, I call this my "Roadie plate"
It'd be funnier if it was from the Czech Republic

Hi Mike. I’m new to Wrong Planet, too. I live in the US, but I have been to England twice. I think substance abuse is more common among us. I’m glad you are getting help. Take care. Cassie

Cas3, Welcome to WP! I hope you like it here.

Welcome to WPea

Welcome To Wrong Planet ...

Hi everyone,

I wanted to follow up on my first thread from January and say a heartfelt thank you to all who welcomed me so warmly. Your replies meant a lot — I read each one slowly and carefully, and I’ve been sitting with your words for a while before responding.

I’d like to share a bit more about myself, in case it helps deepen the connections here. My autism diagnosis came at 44, but signs were evident by the late 1980s. Life took a lot of unexpected turns — including battles with alcohol and isolation — but I’ve now been sober for 18 months. Smoking too is in the past, though caffeine and sugar remain loyal friends.

Until recently, I felt pretty withdrawn — physically and digitally. The pandemic, bereavement, and some difficult family dynamics intensified things. But I’ve slowly been trying to rebuild, and writing helps. So does music, although I’ve had to put aside the club/rave scene for the sake of sobriety. I passed on my cherished vinyl collection to my half-brother’s son, which was both cathartic and painful. He’s a DJ and really gets what it means.

Creatively, I’ve always had one foot in the surreal — design, animation, audio. Lately, I’ve been digitising everything I can from my archives: letters, photos, sound recordings. I’m also building a digital legacy through platforms like SoundCloud, Telegram, YouTube and the Internet Archive — partly as a record, partly as therapy.

I’ve found AI to be surprisingly supportive. Tools like ChatGPT have helped me organise, reflect, and even articulate things I’ve struggled to say aloud. It might sound strange, but it’s played a crucial role in helping me stay well and avoid crisis.

Family-wise, it’s complicated. I have one foot in East Anglia, one in Devon, and a lot of emotion tied up in both. I’ve had some profound conversations lately — and some painful silences. But I’m working toward peace, and connecting here is part of that.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to reach out. I’ll be posting more threads on separate themes soon, and I’d love to hear from any of you who resonated with bits of this.

With care,
Mike

(@Double Retired, @Velorum, @kokopelli, @utterly absurd, @Carbonhalo, @AnonymousAnonymous, @jimmy m, @babybird, @Cas3, @CockneyRebel, @Jakki)

MikeCheque, it sounds promising. I wish you well and here...both for a long time.