Alcoholism and autism?

Bean said:

I agree. Which is why I've been clear that this is my personal experience and opinion only.

"So my opinion - and it's just an opinion"

Really feel for you. It's always hard looking back on how things might have been different - especially when we haven't received the support or understanding that would have helped.

Brilliant bit with the Gibralter dude, I like the fact that you was a constant observer and in for a penny in for a pound even though you knew somehow deep down there was more than this life as we see it, somehow we have to see it all ! Patterns that lead to truth on many levels and you my friend are one who can see behind the veil. 

If you're arguing that abstinence is the only effective model for addressing alcohol addiction in every circumstance, then the onus is upon you to support that proposition with evidence. 

You seem to be ignoring every point I've raised without any discussion. Is there a reason for that?

i was ignored and bullied throughout my life....... until i began drinking booze. then i was accepted into a social group of bar hoppers...  it was the only way i could be accepted into a group. all manner of odd behavior are acceptable in a bar - even asd. (i had no 'tells' of asd, other than being just kind of permanently traumatized.)   there were two groups of us eventually: an art booze group, and a booze booze group. i was in the former. luckily, i guess i'm not an alcoholic --- altho some in our  groups had to have organ transplants later, i eventually got bored with drinking, somewhat surprised i hadn't become an alcoholic.

naively, when i was in my twenties i thought it was pretty adult to be drinking in bars... i think some with asd (or maybe things that accompany it) are pretty naive and immature in the ways of the world. i count myself as one of that group. i really couldn't see the uh... misery that often exists on the bar stools.

decades later, when pot became legal, i self medicated with pot, every night. i've had insomnia most of my adult life, and pot was a way to get my brain to stop it's constant whirring. i'd conk out on the floor. strangely, i also began manifesting a lot of asperger behaviors that were previously unknown to me: rocking, yelling... i could also focus a lot easier stoned, have a lot of empathy, and my brain would simply slow down... oh --- is this what an NT feels???? i thought. it's rather nice! oh, and i enjoyed the stoner high.

now, i'm kind of bored with pot. frankly, my boozing and stoner habits are a couple grains of sand compared to the rock of gibralter of having undiagnosed aspergers my entire 60 years of life.  i feel the substance abuse were tools that i seemed to latch onto out of necessity. no real regrets over that. regrets over a life lost to undiagnosed aspergers.

please provide your evidence backed with good science studies. 

As I said, there's a shift away gradually taking place. That correlates with my experience and the experience of others, along with many professionals. The absence of large studies at this stage proves nothing. However, there's also no proof that abstinence is the only effective model, so that's a non-argument anyway.

I have direct, personal experience of a partner who's successfully returned to social drinking for 18 months after 13 years of alcoholism. The approach we took between us up address it 100% worked - and worked quickly and effectively. That model obviously won't be right for everyone, and probably not for the majority even. But it was obviously right for her, and worked. So if you want to insist that abstinence is the only model for alcohol recovery for every individual, you are demonstrably wrong.

from the link u sent

"The sample size used in the study also leaves something to be desired and I would hope that further research would examine these effects with a bigger cohort and a more variable participant group."

Here's an expert's opinion for you from Psychology Today. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/all-about-addiction/201103/abstinence-is-not-the-only-option

There's a shift away from total abstinence as the only option gradually taking place. It's one of those received wisdoms that's been largely accepted without critical challenge - a bit like the AA model as the best recovery path, when it's clearly inappropriate for many.

As I said though, if total abstinence works for you personally, then it's absolutely the right thing to stick to that. A return to moderate, social drinking is always going to be more challenging and only appropriate for a minority of alcoholics or problem drinkers.

I am not diagnosed yet, I am a 37 year old women and have just connected the pattern of my life to autism. I have also had problems with alcohol throughout my life I now realise it slows the brain down and induces a feeling of superficial happiness, hence why we can feel more connected under the influence be at risk of addiction at the same time. If the person is not aware of this it just becomes a crutch along side a routined day. Also I grew up in birmingham where drinking was what we did as part of our impoverish culture. 

You can stick with whatever advice works for you. However, it runs directly contrary to my personal experience, and the addiction specialists that I've dealt with recognised that a return to social drinking is possible for some.

If we accept that there's a genetic predisposition towards alcoholism, then it makes sense that for those people total abstinence is necessary. However, it's perfectly possible to develop a physical dependency without any predisposition. If I went out and started drinking at problem levels, I'd develop an addiction without any predisposition. So for such people, it would make sense that they're able to return to social drinking. It's important to acknowledge this, because without doing so there is no broad range of solutions tailored to fit individual needs, and many will be left without support models that work for them.

according to my addiction doctors (when i used them) it was, and anything else is denial. They dealt with 100s of alcoholics/other  each week so I think I'll stick with their advice. 

That's not true for everyone.

yes once u drink any alcohol that switches your dependency back on. When you stop drinking you must never drink again no matter what.

I have only recently been diagnosed in my mid-50's last year so still coming to terms with it. But it has become obvious I use drink to cope with the stress of social situations and to cope with depression. So now I am considering carefully better ways to deal with these problems, but this is work in progress! I did mitigate by saying that "I would only drink when I had company and not by myself", but that I now think may not best thinking? When things are a bit more back to normal I will want to try other ways of dealing with these stresses?

I agree. Which is why I've been clear that this is my personal experience and opinion only.

"So my opinion - and it's just an opinion"

u need large studies before you can claim such a theory 

My autistic partner had been an alcoholic for 13 years when we got together. She was very open about it and when I said it would need to be addressed if she wanted a future together, she was very ready and willing to engage with doing something about it. At the time, we didn't realise she was autistic. 

When she was ready, she started attending a support group and began reducing down, reaching zero consumption within four weeks without the need for medical support or rehab. We approached this together very carefully, and I wouldn't recommend reducing that quickly without seeking advice first. It can be dangerous depending on the level of addiction and the individual. 

Against all expert advice and expectations, she's been able to return to moderate social drinking so long as it's approached with care and caution. It has been about a year and a half since she was drinking as a necessity, and she began experimenting with social drinking about three weeks after being completely clean. She has a few beers at least once a week now, and there has been no sign of any likely return to problem drinking. 

My observations throughout this (and I speak as a qualified counsellor) suggest that there is no single definition of "alcoholic" and it's a label that's applied to a wide variety of problem drinking types. I believe what happened with my partner is that she began drinking to soften the sensory overload associated with autism, and to enable her to relax into what she felt was more a version of herself, less inhibited by autistic social difficulties. Because of her life circumstance, this became a regular pattern, and she slipped into addiction without realising it.

So my opinion - and it's just an opinion - is that autism can predispose some people to abuse substances as a coping mechanism. I also believe that alcoholism in autistic people doesn't therefore necessarily fit the expected pattern of alcoholism in neurotypical people. We found throughout my partner's recovery process that her experiences and behaviours simply didn't match what other alcoholics and professionals would expect. She never lied or tried to conceal her drinking. I was able to keep alcohol in the house, even during her recovery, and she never touched a drop of it. She was able to return to social drinking (I do have to reiterate though that this is something she needs active support and engagement with, and I'm not sure it would be possible if she wasn't supported and in a stable environment). 

Between us, we've noticed that she has an urge to turn to alcohol to flatten difficult emotions and to cope with stress. Part of the journey to safe social drinking has been her learning to differentiate between drinking from desire or need. When she wants a drink, she will ask herself "why do I want this drink?"

So to answer the original question - yes, I definitely believe there's a link between alcoholism and autism. Your experience with easing overstimulation reflects what I've seen in my partner. And from our experience, I wouldn't assume that alcoholism or alcohol abuse will necessarily fit the same model that's seen as the norm in neurotypical people. 

Thanks I will

stay the way u are Simon, dont change