A Link Between Autism and Addiction
theatlantic.com
theatlantic.com
But I'll bet that the isolation plays a big part too. I could be wrong about this, and the article only mentions a few cases where people found that alternative cultures were simply more accepting of their quirks, but it seems like people on the spectrum often think a little differently, are painfully aware of it, and feel the need to be constantly scrutinizing their words and actions around other people. Combine that with all of the constant pressures of modern life, between staying on top of bills, holding down a job/career, managing social events, keeping up on housework...it's like fingers on a chalkboard to a spectrum dweller's overarching craving for some quiet isolation every now and then. Life just feels so loud and hectic, with some days dominated by a desire to tuck your head between your knees and scream at the whole world to just hold up and calm down for a goddamned minute. And the aversion to sudden, unexpected changes doesn't help. How can you ever really relax when just the act of navigating day-to-day life feels like tap-dancing on an avalanche?
So would it really be surprising if it does turn out that many such people reach for the bottle at an early age? I don't think so, but I'm sure glad to see people putting more effort into finding an answer than my vague 'that makes sense' hand-waving.
Workplaces. Homes -- a string of bad neighbors in multiple locations. (I mean, when they are across the street and down the block, and still make your life miserable inside your buttoned up home, they are bad.)
When I get somewhere I can achieve and trust that quiet in my life -- not all the time, but when I need it, without undo effort -- the rest of my state-of-mind simply falls into place. I'm not stressed. I'm at peace. Alone, and with other people.
I look at how much imposed stress many people in the U.S. have placed upon them. Not just nor particularly worries about eventualities, but immediate, physical and attentional stresses in their lives. And I think, that has to be a key to all this.
P.S. And the way these things can shut down physical activity -- in my and friends' experiences, a key to coping. If you can't go out and about in your yard and neighborhood without worry, your activity level may plummet.
I wonder what effect this is having on kids who no longer walk to school and maybe aren't even allowed to play outside on their own or simply go running, cycling, etc. down the block.
I'm acutely aware of it, every single day.
Then alcohol to forget..and competition with others who recognize your illness and take pity on you. Cyclical and ugly.
You don't know the half of it..
I mean, there's always the possibility that I'm just a conceited asshole, so why go down that road?
Sorry, but by who? I don't recall ever hearing this and googling it turned up nothing.
I imagine this could have been a myth, even a stereotype, among some practitioners. The danger of this kind of myth is clear to me: people struggling with substance use could have their needs with respect to autism denied out of simple assumptions that they didn't 'fit the typical profile'.
This and other stereotypes, for example around race, gender, culture or class, could lead to peoples mental health getting poor care. Now hear me out. I'm not saying that these psychologists are "racist". I'm saying that there is a need for potential biases to be explicitly addressed, and that's what this research seems to do.
> Many people with autism have a penchant for strictly following rules, which would seem to make them less likely to try alcohol or illegal drugs.
For others, especially the higher-functioning, undiagnosed and too smart, alcohol, drugs and sex may become the means, end, and medicine. I'm speaking from personal experience.
How's your sex life? Is it an escorts thing or do you try for relationships?
This is a common trait among mental illnesses and definitely makes it worse being alive.
Do you know if those on the autistic spectrum ever date within themselves and how it works out? I know for others diseases, it can turn into a nightmare (only if both haven't developed coping techniques), though not always.
> I'm not exactly comfortable talking about my sex life on a public forum (even though the answer is "completely ordinary").
My bad, I forgot some people tie-in their real lives.
> It's a barely-researched topic that unfortunately holds some rather grim secrets.
Can you elaborate on these grim secrets?
Yes, they date, and it can work out pretty well, as long as they both work through their personal issues (as most autistic people have a host of secondary mental health problems + knowledge deficits in terms of how relationships work). The lack of nonverbal communication pretty much cancels out in such relationship, and mutual understanding of one's peculiar personal preferences and limitations makes life much easier. This is, of course, assuming that both people are aware of their uncommon nature and willing to work on the relationship.
> Can you elaborate on these grim secrets?
Many forms of autism therapy (sic) end up making the child so obedient they don't know how to say say "no" (as the child was never given that option). While making life easier for parents and caretakers, such person becomes extremely gullible in adult life; for young women, this means consenting to all kinds of horrific abuse. The therapy programs too often avoid the issue of relationships and sex altogether or paint an unrealistic picture. I've heard autism professionals refer to sexual behaviors as "undesired"; I've seen those behaviors being suppressed and punished. I've seen parents make great effort to prevent an autistic person from even attempting to date someone of the opposite sex. I've seen psychologists supporting the parents' efforts. The net effect looked more like trying to prevent a dog from breeding than teaching a person how to live an independent, fulfilling life.
It does look like that.
Do you have any insight into how this situation could be remedied? I'm briefly acquainted with the autism rights movement, but I don't see anything about encouraging equality of life, only how expectations should be "redefined."
I've been in a relationship for almost one year now (my first serious one). I'm exceptionally independent and spend a lot of time to myself coding and working on projects.
My sex life is... different, I think. I'm bisexual and so is my girlfriend. I think my sex drive is much lower than most people. I crave it occasionally (maybe, seriously, like once a month) and it feels more mechanical for me than emotional. I enjoy it and it's fun, but it feels like work a lot of the times. I'm very sexually open and sex positive, too.
I'll answer more questions about my relationship, if wanted.
It allows us to maintain our (awesome) relationship and keep our independence.
How was the journey getting to this point in your life?
I don't know if you have a reference for a neurotypical + neurotypical relationship, but if any, what accommodations have you had to make? For example: the way introverts have to make time for themselves and for their partner to understand and respect that.
Some accommodations? Well, I guess I have to put off some side project time to spend time with my SO. Sometimes I really have to force myself to do it even though I really want to to work on one of my projects.
TL;DR wrt relationships - it can work, it is surely complicated.
Can confirm, I probably wouldn't be here had I not started smoking weed.
This is slightly OT as it's a minor(ish) sentence in the article, but I fail to see the reason for the quotes. For anyone but the most hardened alcoholics, that is a lethal dose of alcohol.
Edit: pluralized a word, regardless, I think you have to be in the ~98th percentile for daily liquor consumption to survive this.
It is totally offtopic, but I consider their grammar absolutely correct.
But I really can't help but feel like Austim is being thrown around like the new ADHD...
The only reason I could think of that it WOULDN'T be as such would be people on the lower-functioning end of the spectrum who can't support themselves - if someone can't manage basic functions without help its unlikely they're going to be exposed to that lifestyle.
* Alleviates sensory problems. I used to get hammered before heading out for the city; it was the only way to survive the usual barrage of stimuli that accompanies a hectic Saturday night.
* Numbs emotions. A hallmark of autism is a great difficulty regulating emotions. Alcohol and drugs make them manageable, even if only temporarily.
* Dissolves the usual rigid thinking, which makes social contacts much easier.
* Makes you forget all the damage, guilt and shame that the neurotypical world has inflicted upon you.
Answering your post - yes, the majority never gets exposed to the drinking world. But those that do - tend to sink in, often with disastrous consequences.
Around 2-5 times higher chance of being some kind of an addict if you have untreated ADHD, lowered down if you get proper treatment (i.e. take ritalin/aderral/modafinil instead of nicotine/sugar/alcohol)
I decided I wanted to stop due to side effects, and quit cold turkey one day with minimal withdrawals (just sleepy). Doctor was very surprised I didn't have dependence although it was an amphetamine.
I have a theory on why it could be the case, and based on what I've researched I think it could be due to issues with neurotransmitters.
Kind of like diabetics being dependent on insulin.
They say that serotonin is the "pleasure" transmitter and dopamine is the "excitement" transmitter. Often autistic people are less receptive to activity in either.
As a result of being less receptive to the activity of neurotransmitters, I think it could be argued that addiction is less likely since addiction is caused by increased neurotransmitter activity?
Feel free to correct me if you know more on the topic.
But if I go off it for more than a day without any sort of tapering off, I feel like a zombie for quite a while. Last time I was unable to fill a prescription while the pharmacy was behind on supplies, I felt as one might expect after using a drug to adjust neurochemistry for a long time - the symptoms I'd originally been treating multiplied due to having adjusted to the medication.
It's hard to describe but it was like being tired, having the worst "brain fog" in history, and the occasional mild tics. Not sure how long it would've taken me to readjust but it's apparently longer than a week. It's made me more aware of the relationship between medication and my natural state and it's one of the main reasons I've never wanted to abuse this drug by taking more than I need for improved function.
If I ever decide to go off it for good, I plan to wean off to avoid the barely tolerable but unpleasant symptoms of abrupt withdrawal.
This observation was made by MIT Professor Stephanie Seneff:
http://weeksmd.com/2015/12/18170/
It's hard to agree which such a claim (exponentials typically become sigmoids, right?), but it is certainly interesting to think about.
> The risk for autism for a child born today is one in 25 at least. This is not a genetic disorder. This is an environmental disorder. I would go one step further: this is a manmade disorder.
A lot of sources suggest that autism is genetic. This explanation logically fails for the simple reason that such an exponential increase over the last 40 years is not possible for a genetic condition - it can't all have occurred at once. Are you telling me that autistic people, who are typically severely impaired in how they function in society, were able to breed and pass on a genetic condition at such a high rate in such a short time?
From 1975 to 2015, the autistic population has exploded in orders of magnitude from ~60,000 to ~6 million. Two percent of the population.
Perhaps it's all because of under-diagnosis of the past. Various types of mental retardation may now be classified as autism.
But was two percent of the population always a victim of some form of mental retardation?
This is somewhat of a silent epidemic (when's the last time you heard about it in the mainstream media?) and we need to figure out what's going on.