Published on 12, July, 2020
Any advice would be appreciated. My son aged 24, has recently been diagnosed with ASD, which explains why he has been self medicating with cannabis since the age of 14 and the last 5 years with cocaine. He has sought help with our local drug service and now doesn't use cannabis only cocaine and is attending weekly meetings, but he feels that this won't help in getting clean, as he takes it to cope with his ASD. He has been assessed by mental health and the ASD service, who cannot assist him with coping mechanisms as he is on drugs. So my son cannot get any help with his ASD because he's on drugs. We are both despairing and any advice would be appreciated.
I assume you live in the UK, Firstly autism services around the country do not offer service to assist adults on the autism spectrum to develop coping mechanisms, so please do not accept it’s the drug problem preventing them from helping him, secondly, you need to be aware that the mental health service and the autism services have a duty of care and should have contacted the local authorities to perform a needs assessment which should result social intervention which should include a social worker and drug rehabilitation.
If the mental health service and autism service haven’t requested a needs assessment through the local authority you can request one through your local authority yourself.
It’s very unusual for an individual who are only on the autism spectrum to take cocaine. It may be worth looking into your son having ADHD as well as Autism. cocaine is a stimulant and your son could of initially started taking it because he noticed a significant improvement similar to what he would have noticed if he started taking ADHD medications. I assume this as case and I can relate as a close family friend has just been diagnosis with ADHD after having a cocaine problem. Ironically he has autism too and it started with the use of cannabis to treat the issues with his undiagnosed autism. He has been through the needs assessment too and they have organised help and support and he is in his mid thirties.
the ADHD medications I am talking about isn’t bad at all, but may require someone other your son to control the medication as it can be addictive. But for the majority of people with ADHD who take the medication it allows their brain to function a bit quicker allowing them time to recognise situations better and help with impulsivity.
the weekly meeting are honestly not going work unless they are tailored or accommodative to the understand of autism and ADHD and are just stressing him out.
contact you local authority for a needs assessment before the drugs do serious harm to his mental capacity or worse he is sections unfairly under the mental health act, your local authority cannot deny him a needs assessment.
Blue, Thank you so much for your reply to my post. I read it to my son and he said 'that's what I have been wanting to hear for so long'. I am now doing to get in touch with Social Services and request an assessment.
IF he has ADHD the dope suppressed the impulse control issues, giving him an immediate improvement in some aspects of his quality of life, whilst immediately placing him in the criminal class as far as society is concerned, and also limiting his options in other ways as dope does.
Cocaine makes you much happier about who you are, as well as providing much needed stimulation.
Believe it or not, I've found that succesffully building a close relationship with a cat gives me exactly the same cheerful feelings of super-adequacy, at a much lower cost, with zero comedown (unless they die, that is AWFUL for a while, but survivable, just) and a whole lot of lessons in how to take care of what if you do it right, will turn out to be a little someone who loves you just because you exist rather than just a pet. It's WAY cheaper than coke, and buying catfood and toys etc, is way cheaper and much less hassle than "scoring" can be... There is a reason that they used to be known as "familiars" by the superstitious. they can easily become family. And for Autism reliable and accepting companions like cats, (and apparenlty if you are that way inclined even Dogs) are way better than drugs.
Dogs though are way more subservient and respond well to firm leadership, Cat's will teach you to serve them and will only reward competence and kindess. (ratehr like an Autist I think!) Learning to serve very well and with good humour is a very transferrable real world skill, once mastered. BUt I do it because it visibly makes my cat happy, and having the power to do that on cue makes me very happy indeed. I just wish I could wield it as well in the human world, like many of us undoubtedly do.
A rule of thumb that has served me very well indeed with drugs ever since cannabis, is to only try any new drug for a short course, (often a ten pound bag, for a first time buyer) then stop and take a month to consider the experience. MDMA for example, alters the way my mind works, literally for weeks after a single dose. So giving yourself a month or so to decide what the drug really did to you, can often blunt what seems like a very strong urge initially to do more, because it's "so great". The problem with the drug lifestyle is pernicious, when you have easy access, but you are weaker when you don't have easy access.
My cat isn't a drug, he is a vibrant little individual, but he does give me an awful lot of what I need to keep balanced, and unlike the drug experience, he comes up with new things to teach me or make me think about, and sometimes even makes me find creative solutions to his problems with boredom, when I would really rather be doing something else. Cats will teach you many things about the importance of rituals, how to remotely influence people at a distance, and most importantly how to nurture real love.