Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
This is first thing I've written here, please be gentle.
I have used alcohol to cope with my somewhat tumultuous life since I was 25. I'm now in my 30s.
I have never entertained the thought that I might be on the spectrum until recently (the past year) when, not only my friends suggested it, but also when I tentatively mentioned it and my own brother didn't bat an eye and said "yeah maybe".
I'm a little shocked and intrigued. I've since spoken to a specialist who just happened to be a friend of my friend - the conversation I had with her felt so relaxed and like a relief. She even said she'd gone through a period of drinking before she was diagnosed.
I'd really be interested to hear if anyone else has had issues with alcohol
It's not really about wanting to drink per se - it's the focus that it gives, and the relief from all the thoughts and feeling uncomfortable.
To level out this post, I'll also add that I'm a grown woman with values and good cognitive reasoning - I've also achieved good things in my life - but not as many as I intended!!
H x
I have mainly been T-total all my life, have only drank on work nights out, when I was younger at house parties, and just generally on special occasions.
I've recently found myself using alcohol as a bit of a coping mechanism for work stuff, if there are drinks at a networking event I will happily drink them just to deal with the discomfort of socialising and numbing any sensitivities.
Not a healthy way to deal with it, but I rarely go to networking things so it could be worse.
HQ said:It's not really about wanting to drink per se - it's the focus that it gives, and the relief from all the thoughts and feeling uncomfortable.
So, yes, I completely relate to that as a 24 yr old woman trying to deal with a job that requires occasional dealing with people!