Why people with Asperger's syndrome and autism may be at risk for drug or alcohol abuse, and issues associated with it. Disclaimer: I do NOT endorse using drugs or alcohol.
I feel you mate and thanks for the video. I have had drug and alcohol problem's since i was 16, i'm now 40 but only recently been diagnosed with Asperger's. Wish you well and in some way it is comforting that i am not the only one...Take care
I'm glad to know that others can relate to me and my experiences and that likewise, I can relate to them and their experiences. Thank you very much for the positive feedback!
One thing I forgot to mention in the video is that people with asperger's and autism develop acute and intense interest in specific subjects. Drugs and alcohol may be that subject. That's one factor that may contribute to substance abuse for them.
You remind me alot of myself though im only 17. I smoked alot of pot to help me cope with others and once my parents found out and started drug testing me i learned about dxm and started heavily using it. I would drink whenever but i dont anymore due to the fact im trying to get in shape. I also spent almost a year researching drugs as they greatly interested me.
Jarrett Ross Indeed, or rather, you remind me a lot of my 17 year old self. You are right to lay off the booze and drugs and focus on your health instead. Take it from me, substance abuse gets you nowhere.
i got about 10 minutes into this video, I am just stunned because everything you are saying it all makes sense. my husband has asperger's he moved to town when he was 16 didn't know anyone from here, but he really liked sports, so he played on the basketball team for our high school. he fell into the crowd with the jocks, and they got him partying, and using performance enhancers, drugs. he got girls from the cheer squads to hook up. he had the life, but he met me his senior year and could never approach me because I was a nerd, so he was above my standing, not that I noticed him anyways because nerds never really look at jocks because we get bullied if we do. so years go by and I meet him through a friend he had made that happened to be my old emo friend and he was heavy into drinking, and I never knew he was heavily involved in drugs until recently. but I think you and Nathaniel would be great to talk to each other some time when I have the chance to tell him all the things you told me.
so if you would like to talk with me bc you know his adoptive family denies that nate has any drug/alcohol issues, and when they get around to agreeing with me its my fault, but I was a goodie two shoes nerd in high school. you can understand and relate to my husband's issues, and I'm just happy I found your channel you have no idea! 😊
one more thing I just now understood, my husband uses the phrase "calm me down" all the time, you just helped me understand that sensory processing overload ties in with that phrase he uses because I always thought because nate has bipolar disorder he was asking me to calm down a potential mood swing, but no. wow thank you so much!
Great video. I didn't take drugs or alcojol because I'm Muslim but I socialized more easily around 'druggies'/alcoholics all throughout high school because (looking back) they understood things I go through and were likely Aspies too
I noticed that the druggies and drinkers I knew when I was a teen were often a bit more understanding as well. I'm not sure how many of them had asperger's. I think that the reason they were drug users and drinkers was that they had rough pasts, and as such were more understanding people because of it. That's my theory anyway. Thank you for enjoying my video and please stick around for more to come!
@@WeirdCrazyShortGuy i wouldn't say the typical druggies and drunks were more understanding. definitely not. but they did care less about conforming to social norms
I think it is common with substance abuse, but most of The aspies in The world and people on The autism spectrum does not have this issue. Personally I have not abused it, but I have as you mentioned, so I can relate, used alcohol to be more relaxed, for example in school for tests, because then I know that I will be less worried and be able to concentrate, which is weird since alcohol worsens The brains thinking power, concentration, and reaction. But yes, so I think many people on The spectrum does have this issue, but I think if you can get to the place where you can drink some and not too much it is okay. Nice video.
Dude I'm near enough ten years an alcoholic and even though I'm undiagnosed I've been told I may have mild ASD and I definitely show alot of symptoms. I got sober for 5 months last year and failed at a party in November. Fast forward to now n I'm watching this with a hangover and full of regrets again... It's tough dude. I'm broke for a week but I'm lucky to have food in the cupboards and a Mr's that loves me n can help.
Yup... I play music and read textbooks for fun soo when I got introduced to a stimulant, without anything I would still occasionally, rare, maybe 1-2x a month, stay awake forgetting to eat or sleep for over 48hrs.. then I got an addiction that made that seem like nothing..4days sometimes, I was learning entire albums of guitar or reading and studying a years worth of certain subjects... that was very short lived tho, addiction hit me and I was all the cons but I would be up with horrible focus, creativity and drive dwindled, health scare got me to understand the severity of multiple issue mainly dehydration, critical and I was more r less oblivious.. I stopped, became lethargic it was horrible, I was a sloth... I put on UA-cam started watching aspergers asd videos, got a call someone offered a great deal and theyd bring it to me... they were probably five min away when you said something that hit a nerve and I cancelled... im still sober and not lethargic slowly getting myself back...ty
You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that I helped you like that. Thanks again. Just curious, what exactly was it that I said which struck a nerve and made you decide to cancel your purchase?
Well done! From supporting my son with alcohol addiction and Aspergers, I know that making the decision to stop seems like the easiest thing to do, compared to actually doing it! Alcohol is portrayed in all media as the means to relax, unwind, to be part of the community. It's natural that anyone with anxiety will look to alcohol to cope if that's what they've been conditioned to believe. My son looks very much like you and exhibits the same anxieties you mentioned. I've only just realised he has Aspergers, and I know that he is grateful for finally understanding why he's struggled so hard. He's turned up today after a 3-day bender and is feeling the anxiety really hard. Sleep is a big issue for him, as well as conforming to societal expectations. |I feel for you, but respect you for making this decision to support your own health. I am sure your family and friends will do as much as they can to support you too. x
Great video, so many people don't realise the substance abuse prevalance in autism spectrum disorder, many think that other neurodivergences like ADHD and Bipolar are the only ones that self medicate and are at high risk of developing substance abuse problems. There is a lot misconception out there about autistics being individuals that are just happy living in their own world and that they would never resort to substance abuse, when really it makes total sense, given that humans are inherintly social creatures, whether that human is autistic or not, they still seek out relationships and interaction but often have elevated anxiety and lack of intuitive tools to socialize normally which would make one at increased risk to seek out something like alcohol or any substance to help alleviate stress or enable one to feel more at ease in any social situation or relive anxiety and depression when alone!
Hey Mike...if you have any regrets because of things "you've" done....like buying alcohol or something like that...for younger kids... Im on your side...your ok with me...so you can move on with your life..forget that stuff and focus on the now and future! Have a good night man!
i hope your sobriety is going well. i go to AA -- four years. I don't have Asperger's but I know a guy who does and he is a heroin addict -- not a good mix at all.
A couple of days ago was my 15 month sobriety anniversary. Thank you. And well done on your sobriety as well! Four years is very impressive! I'm sorry to hear about your friend. That is very tough. Let me ask you, do you feel that your friend's asperger syndrome contributed to his drug addiction? Like the reasons I mentioned in my video or additional ones?
congratulations! I can't think of a bigger thing you could have done to improve you life! As for my friend, I really don't know if his Asperger's contributed to his addiction because I didn't know him before he was an addict. I suspect it must have. But it definitely makes his Asperger's worse. He was the first person I got to know who had Asperger's and I didn't know what it was -- just that he was a real mess. My brother in law has Asperger's as well, and we get along fine -- but this "friend," well, I can't be around him at all. He's too combustable. All addicts are like that, including me when I was strung out. But I know this: Asperger's and Heroin DO NOT MIX. I subbed and will follow you videos. Great work.
I did it just to feel "NORMAL" to cope with this abrasive world. I wish I was diagnosed as a child. How different my life could have been. Poor mum was always wanting to know what was wrong with me
Damn I relate to that a lot. I had a serious breakdown when I was 25, living in my own for the first time, and being confronted with how bad I am at just life in general. I eventually ended up reading a lot about all kinds of personality disorders in a desperate attempt to find out what was wrong with me. I eventually landed on ADHD/autism. I confronted my mom about my childhood, wanting to find out wether I had certain behaviors as a child. Then she just told me that I had appointments with therapists and Psychologist, that I knew NOTHING off, fairly early on in my life, and that they guessed I was probably autistic. With 25 my mom told me that. By that time I spend a good 10 years depressed and partly socially isolated, trying to figure out why I was a fucked up and weird. The thought that I could have received help and support if my mom would have taken the advice seriously made me really angry and sad. I cried, mourning the life I could have had. Eventually I forgave my mom. She did try to take care of me, and she does love me, for which I am grateful, but man, this feeling of going in this months long exploration and confrontation with my own short comings and pathological condition, trying to figure out why I suffered immensely in my Formative years, just for someone to tell me it could have all been prevented. It felt like someone shot me. I still think back to how happy I was as a child. It's sad to imagine how I went from a happy kid to a severely depressed and lonely person, and how nobody thought to help me.
This opens my eyes more about my little sister she heavily on meth and I've tried to help her many times but I need to try and understand why she having this problem and inform myself about Asperger
I'm sorry to hear about your sister's struggle. See if she'll watch my video. Maybe it will help her. People often do drugs to self medicate and your sister is probably using for the same reason. Has she ever mentioned why she is using or if she's using to cope with aspects of asperger's?
The sad fact is that people only stop using when they are really ready to. Despite years of my friends and family telling me that I needed to stop drinking, I only stopped when I realized I had to due to my deteriorating health. All you can really do is be there for her and keep trying to convince her that her life will be better if she stops using. People often start using to cope with trauma. Help her pinpoint what may have happened in her life that made her start using in the first place. That's the only way she can start to work past her addiction. Best of luck.
i'm gonna say something harsh, but maybe her life is objectively better with meth than without meth. that doesn't mean that the meth is not destructive. it is and it is in many ways. maybe try to convince her to get an adderall or ritalin prescription, which is safer and at therapeutic doses not damaging
Awesome talk Mike! Thanks so much. Just "lost" my Aspie boyfriend because of this....Tragic. I'm trying to learn more. Currently reading," Drinking, Drug Use, and Addiction in the Autism Community." by by Ann Palmer (Author), Elizabeth Kunreuther (Author), Tony Attwood (Foreword)
Holy shit this was me for the longest time with weed and nicotine and eventually I found myself doing the same things that you were talking about in the video I did weed and nicotine because I thought I would get socially accepted more often because of bad crowds and it eventually got me into even more bad crowds and it got me into all sorts of trouble and it was some of the worst times of my life and I pray that because of what I’ve seen with my dad and marajana and alcohol abuse and dependency where he almost died from it and went to the hospital twice for it and fell and had a giant gash on his forehead from it for a while and went to detox for about a week or two almost and then came back and sense then it’s skied me a lot of things and has gotten me completely devoted to sobriety and to and trying to prevent others from drinking and smoking drugs and nicotine and abusing said substances and even going as far as to asking as trying to steer my girlfriend away from said substances and just making sure that she only does it once a month for her own mental safety and capacity
Every “tick” I seen in this video, is everything I was told I have. I only knew the ticks after people told me. I’ve been addicted to alcohol since I was 12. Started hard drugs (never a needle) at 18. Substance was what made me seem normal. It was the best mask ever. I always knew I was off. My family made shit comments a lot. Some in front of me and others they thought “over my head” I got diagnosed recently. I’m 27. I won’t tell my family bc how they been to me my whole life. I’m not stupid. My brother was diagnosed at 16. Btw, we are from small town with no mental help within 4 hours . My family talks bad on my brother “he doesn’t know” or “understand” and I’m scared. I don’t want them to change their mind about my level of “dumb” bc they find out I’m autistic. My brother and I aren’t dumb! In fact, we are the only people, both maternal and paternal sides (full siblings) to get a degree! I’m so scared! Bc their opinion shouldn’t matter but it really does to me.
I know what you mean. I only started talking about my Aspieness now. The first time I was diagnosed at 19 I literally deleted that doc and tried to forget about it. But now I think we deserve to have our own community where we can communicate and share ideas in our own special way. After speaking to so many more Aspie I realised that I only feel normal with other Aspie. The deficit I feel with NTs isn't there with Aspies.
I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at 4. I’m 19 and I have been smoking cigarettes and weed since I was 14. Substances make me way more sociable and less creepy, weed helps with my anxiety too.
Your verbal and facial skills actually seem very good. Better than me, and I'm not obviously autistic but so so (meh) as a communicator. See my vids, you'll understand. Alcohol is a pleasure I find, in moderation, but often too stressful the day after.
Mike, Congrats on 4 months. Also congrats on your new major! I know about self-medication. I am still looking for a diagnosis for ADHD, but for a lot of my life, I used to self-medicate by drinking coffee (those with ADHD tend to need stimulant medication to concentrate, focus, and surprisingly, calm down).
as a functioning autistic i struggle with overthinking things to the point to where i come to realizations that are way too heavy to handle or just get too worn out to go on so i go to marijuana to numb my guilt and pain that comes from my realizations and experiences with the outside world
thank you for this video, related to *everything,* especially the irony that disassociation integrates physical stimuli better, I felt that way with weed. Also that cop story just broke me...
I am so proud of you! My brother died of liver and kidney failure due to alcoholism. He had severe social issues all of his life and now I think I understand his thinking just a little bit better. I believe he had aspergers that went undiagnosed. He had many of the symptoms. I miss him. Best wishes on your path to sobriety.
4 months?? Congratulations. I have been an addict all my life. From heroin to valium and Lyrica now. Its a terrible prison but the only way I could survive this world without killing myself. My anxiety is debilitating. I'm a single mother and I can barely cope. I was diagnosed only a few years ago. My family doesnt take it seriously. My support is people like you sharing. Thank you. "to feel OK in your skin" I understand that completely. Self medication.
I had a time clean and I was so happy but I was in a rehab. I liked being in there. When I left my mum died andni relapsed. I really hope to be clean again one day. I felt strong. And God was with me. God has kept me alive. My life is a struggle as I'm very sensitive but I'm getting stronger.
Firstly congratulations! Second, I understand how you feel alcohol is a hard habit to quit, but once someone frees themselves from a habit it can get easier, not totally and it can be a fight throughout someones life.... I really get as I have to take pain and nerve medications due to a water burn injury that gave me 3'rd degree burns on 33% of my body mostly my feet and right leg and it has been a battle of balancing between relief and addiction for most my life. I've thankfully been in a great place for a few years now and hope to keep it that way. Still always technicslly a balancing act everyday though cause I still have to know the differences between when I need the medicine or if it's just a want. I have a great doctor though and loving family to help stay in focus!
+Stephanie White I'm glad you can relate. I hope you maintain sobriety as best as possible. I know other people who got hooked on pain meds due to injury and now through no fault of their own are addicted. My stepdad's brother was one and he ended up dying.
Thanks for sharing. I am also on the spectrum and have dealt with addiction issues for the last 13 years. That cop story killed me. How can someone even think that is alright? Just goes to show how little people understand about autism.
I am looking into whether I am on the spectrum (if not, something very similar?). All the accredited tests I've been taking have been saying I'm in a high likelihood, and also I have a long history with alcohol. So that's how I found your video. Looks like it was uploaded a couple years ago. How are you doing now?
Great Vids, it has really helped me to understand aspergers better. Your openness and frankness is amazing, also the language you use is really helpful and clear. Thank you very much. Great work!
I will say that I still use the drug known as "Tina" to help with the depression and social anxiety side of Asperger's, I smoke a pack of fags a day and have been since age 14 and im 34 now. But as far as using Tina for energy, mood elevation and other things, but i have been fortunate enough to not let my addiction progress to the point where I would engage in reckless (not to mention ILLEGAL) behavior to get my next fix like an opioid addict would because opioid users are basically trying to get just enough to not only be able to function but to stave off what could be a fatal withdrawal
Dude i cant believe somebody else mentioned DXM, ive done that too. I liked it for the same reasons, it's a dissociative, perfect escape. It was so much what i was looking for that it became an issue, i knew i was doing it too much, it was causing me to get these sores on my body so i did quit. I threw up from it basically every time too but still loved it. More recently i had been smoking weed so much to help. It was a bit different i think, to make me feel more comfortable in my own skin, made me feel more at ease in social situations. It wasnt a good habit, had to have it more than daily, the way i was using it was not chill. I'm now off of it, i just take an antidepressant now. I was afraid that trying to quit would b too hard for me but with the pills i managed it. Coping skills r hard
Thank you for sharing your life! You are an amazing and strong young man! Good luck! I know you will beat alcohol dependence! 👏 My son was recently diagnosed and is struggling with alcoholism. His life sounds very much like yours. I wish he'd chat with you. God bless.
Thank you so much for posting; it's so helpful to families with teens who have autism, especially our young ones who have been targeted because they are vulnerable in terms of their social skills. Keep posting; it's important.
And the drug tina doesn't have painful and potentially life threatening withdrawal symptoms like those with alcohol cocaine and opioids. And then again it has its drawbacks such as coming down youll tend to get irritability and excessive sleepiness. And because you'll develop a tolerance over time to where youll need to smoke more than a 1/4 gram a day just to get the same desired effect and then to a whole gram after a couple months of continuous use
Doctors have told me I can't have Asperger's because I drink and do other substances, despite my diagnosis. Literally every autistic person I know except for one drinks ethanol passionately and is also open to other substances. Autistic people are especially prone to liking any kind of dissociative like ethanol or anticonvulsant hypnotic like a benzo. Stimulants are more often prescribed by doctors, mainly because doctors mix up autism with ADHD, because, I don't know? It's not even that similar, only very superficially similar.
So I have never really done "drugs" per say but if I get bored I do find I go eat food or drink a pop or other comfort food. I find that I need something to occupy me and food and stuff like that accomplishes that goal. Does any other aspie have issues with boredom?
Good video bro. I have 6 months sober myself and I have had similar situations where I have been socially awkward and niave and I too fell into using alcohol in order to fit in. Right now I have been in AA and outpatient therapy and been working the steps of AA. Through doing this I have learned alot about myself and learned acceptance. This has greatly helped me in my recovery. That and my spirituality that I have been developing through AA and working the steps have been greatly a help. Plus going to AA meetings helps me on a social standpoint as well with learning and re-teaching myself on how to socialize and to learn to deal with my Aspergers.
i have abused amphetamine methamphetamine ketamine xtc 2cb shrooms 4fmp alcohol but most of the time benzodiazepines like alprazolam diazepam midazolam or temazepam thet have helped me whit anxiaty
I can always switch drugs if the benzos lose potency i can switch to ghb if the ghb loses potenty i can start heroin if heroin loses potency i can go back to the benzos if im done whit that shit i go to ketamine if ketamine doesnt help i can use meth
MoonYue17 ssri zoloft wk for me one day to the other !! I drank 7 liters daily and now i dont do any booze ciggaretes coke !! And i stopped in 24 hrs if idrink i get so anxious and even worst with tabbacco !! Coke i use to do it calms me down with the booze !, yukk
In the 5th Grade I was diagnosed with aspergers and have barely had therapy (because of lack of insurance) so I have no medication or therapy. I’m 18 now and started using weed at 14. I didn’t start doing it frequently until last year but I’ve always had an unhealthy experience with it. Now it’s sort of like a comfort thing and I have decided to stop on the 16th of January and I’m struggling. The days are just getting longer longer and it feels so easy to just smoke and feel normal. Also since I’m only 18 I’m scared that my overdependance is giving me brain damage...
I'm literally self medicating and drinking one beer after the other right now, and I fuckin hate it, and I dont know how Much longer I can live this life. I'm separating myself more and more from people and from society. I'm spending more time in the woods, and in the mountains alone. It's the only Place I feel happy, and free. Society feels Like a prison to me.
go to a detox not to be rude I have had to and no shame in it can get better I have 2 years clean and I never thought would be possible remind yourself what its making you do
I drank for 30 years and coke !! I took setraline i stopped drinking smoking and coke one day to the other !! Ssri regulated my anxiety and started to look into it why i happen to changed with zoloft and i been sober over year , i was in awhile hit the bowl of weed but doing cbd ashwangha and setraline some xanax if necessary for sleep!, i did alot of alcohol to wind down because i did high end retail for 20 years just got worst with time as i masked with booze to be normal ! We love sugar and booze the feeling is X10 the rush and feeling like sex or porn too !! Stay well thanks
I went 5 months sober before i went back to drinking, i went straight back to cutting myself,punching myself and bashing my head against walls. I dont know what to do anymore, i dont understand my self and nobody in my life doest either. I just feel lost.
Personally I feel if it’s with someone who has autism they should have an irl friend to make sure the dosage is good and give them a non addictive experience
currently addicted. he is getting motivational enhancement therapy and has worked on a few goals like cutting back in some ways, but i think he feels like he needs alcohol to get through life with undiagnosed asperger's
I feel you mate and thanks for the video. I have had drug and alcohol problem's since i was 16, i'm now 40 but only recently been diagnosed with Asperger's. Wish you well and in some way it is comforting that i am not the only one...Take care
I'm glad to know that others can relate to me and my experiences and that likewise, I can relate to them and their experiences. Thank you very much for the positive feedback!
One thing I forgot to mention in the video is that people with asperger's and autism develop acute and intense interest in specific subjects. Drugs and alcohol may be that subject. That's one factor that may contribute to substance abuse for them.
You remind me alot of myself though im only 17. I smoked alot of pot to help me cope with others and once my parents found out and started drug testing me i learned about dxm and started heavily using it. I would drink whenever but i dont anymore due to the fact im trying to get in shape. I also spent almost a year researching drugs as they greatly interested me.
Jarrett Ross Indeed, or rather, you remind me a lot of my 17 year old self. You are right to lay off the booze and drugs and focus on your health instead. Take it from me, substance abuse gets you nowhere.
+Mike Soluna Thanks man wish you well, keep going strong.
Jarrett Ross Thank you. I wish you the best as well. Let me know if you ever need advice.
***** Thanks. It's what happened to me.
i got about 10 minutes into this video, I am just stunned because everything you are saying it all makes sense. my husband has asperger's he moved to town when he was 16 didn't know anyone from here, but he really liked sports, so he played on the basketball team for our high school. he fell into the crowd with the jocks, and they got him partying, and using performance enhancers, drugs. he got girls from the cheer squads to hook up. he had the life, but he met me his senior year and could never approach me because I was a nerd, so he was above my standing, not that I noticed him anyways because nerds never really look at jocks because we get bullied if we do. so years go by and I meet him through a friend he had made that happened to be my old emo friend and he was heavy into drinking, and I never knew he was heavily involved in drugs until recently. but I think you and Nathaniel would be great to talk to each other some time when I have the chance to tell him all the things you told me.
so if you would like to talk with me bc you know his adoptive family denies that nate has any drug/alcohol issues, and when they get around to agreeing with me its my fault, but I was a goodie two shoes nerd in high school. you can understand and relate to my husband's issues, and I'm just happy I found your channel you have no idea! 😊
one more thing I just now understood, my husband uses the phrase "calm me down" all the time, you just helped me understand that sensory processing overload ties in with that phrase he uses because I always thought because nate has bipolar disorder he was asking me to calm down a potential mood swing, but no. wow thank you so much!
Thank you very much. I'm glad my video helps you to understand your husband's struggle. Have him watch this video if he hasn't already.
+Mike Soluna i plan to 😊
I used to get drunk before I went out drinking
XIV Words i used to drink 12 pack before going out !! When i was 21
Great video. I didn't take drugs or alcojol because I'm Muslim but I socialized more easily around 'druggies'/alcoholics all throughout high school because (looking back) they understood things I go through and were likely Aspies too
I noticed that the druggies and drinkers I knew when I was a teen were often a bit more understanding as well. I'm not sure how many of them had asperger's. I think that the reason they were drug users and drinkers was that they had rough pasts, and as such were more understanding people because of it. That's my theory anyway. Thank you for enjoying my video and please stick around for more to come!
@@WeirdCrazyShortGuy i wouldn't say the typical druggies and drunks were more understanding. definitely not. but they did care less about conforming to social norms
I think it is common with substance abuse, but most of The aspies in The world and people on The autism spectrum does not have this issue. Personally I have not abused it, but I have as you mentioned, so I can relate, used alcohol to be more relaxed, for example in school for tests, because then I know that I will be less worried and be able to concentrate, which is weird since alcohol worsens The brains thinking power, concentration, and reaction. But yes, so I think many people on The spectrum does have this issue, but I think if you can get to the place where you can drink some and not too much it is okay. Nice video.
Dude I'm near enough ten years an alcoholic and even though I'm undiagnosed I've been told I may have mild ASD and I definitely show alot of symptoms. I got sober for 5 months last year and failed at a party in November. Fast forward to now n I'm watching this with a hangover and full of regrets again... It's tough dude. I'm broke for a week but I'm lucky to have food in the cupboards and a Mr's that loves me n can help.
ill elaborate later.. I have aspergers, im recently sober, this literally just had me cancel a purchase... 1 month in 2 days.. ty
Please elaborate when you have the time. but if you're saying that my video helped you stay sober, then I am happy to be of service. Thanks.
Yup... I play music and read textbooks for fun soo when I got introduced to a stimulant, without anything I would still occasionally, rare, maybe 1-2x a month, stay awake forgetting to eat or sleep for over 48hrs.. then I got an addiction that made that seem like nothing..4days sometimes, I was learning entire albums of guitar or reading and studying a years worth of certain subjects... that was very short lived tho, addiction hit me and I was all the cons but I would be up with horrible focus, creativity and drive dwindled, health scare got me to understand the severity of multiple issue mainly dehydration, critical and I was more r less oblivious.. I stopped, became lethargic it was horrible, I was a sloth... I put on UA-cam started watching aspergers asd videos, got a call someone offered a great deal and theyd bring it to me... they were probably five min away when you said something that hit a nerve and I cancelled... im still sober and not lethargic slowly getting myself back...ty
You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that I helped you like that. Thanks again. Just curious, what exactly was it that I said which struck a nerve and made you decide to cancel your purchase?
@@WeirdCrazyShortGuy Just you being You brother.
thank you so much, pray you can make it
good topic. aspergers, depression & 420 here. 💚🌲🌲💚🔥👌
Thanks, man!
Well done! From supporting my son with alcohol addiction and Aspergers, I know that making the decision to stop seems like the easiest thing to do, compared to actually doing it! Alcohol is portrayed in all media as the means to relax, unwind, to be part of the community. It's natural that anyone with anxiety will look to alcohol to cope if that's what they've been conditioned to believe. My son looks very much like you and exhibits the same anxieties you mentioned. I've only just realised he has Aspergers, and I know that he is grateful for finally understanding why he's struggled so hard. He's turned up today after a 3-day bender and is feeling the anxiety really hard. Sleep is a big issue for him, as well as conforming to societal expectations. |I feel for you, but respect you for making this decision to support your own health. I am sure your family and friends will do as much as they can to support you too. x
Great video, so many people don't realise the substance abuse prevalance in autism spectrum disorder, many think that other neurodivergences like ADHD and Bipolar are the only ones that self medicate and are at high risk of developing substance abuse problems. There is a lot misconception out there about autistics being individuals that are just happy living in their own world and that they would never resort to substance abuse, when really it makes total sense, given that humans are inherintly social creatures, whether that human is autistic or not, they still seek out relationships and interaction but often have elevated anxiety and lack of intuitive tools to socialize normally which would make one at increased risk to seek out something like alcohol or any substance to help alleviate stress or enable one to feel more at ease in any social situation or relive anxiety and depression when alone!
Hey Mike...if you have any regrets because of things "you've" done....like buying alcohol or something like that...for younger kids...
Im on your side...your ok with me...so you can move on with your life..forget that stuff and focus on the now and future!
Have a good night man!
i hope your sobriety is going well. i go to AA -- four years. I don't have Asperger's but I know a guy who does and he is a heroin addict -- not a good mix at all.
A couple of days ago was my 15 month sobriety anniversary. Thank you. And well done on your sobriety as well! Four years is very impressive!
I'm sorry to hear about your friend. That is very tough. Let me ask you, do you feel that your friend's asperger syndrome contributed to his drug addiction? Like the reasons I mentioned in my video or additional ones?
congratulations! I can't think of a bigger thing you could have done to improve you life! As for my friend, I really don't know if his Asperger's contributed to his addiction because I didn't know him before he was an addict. I suspect it must have. But it definitely makes his Asperger's worse. He was the first person I got to know who had Asperger's and I didn't know what it was -- just that he was a real mess. My brother in law has Asperger's as well, and we get along fine -- but this "friend," well, I can't be around him at all. He's too combustable. All addicts are like that, including me when I was strung out. But I know this: Asperger's and Heroin DO NOT MIX. I subbed and will follow you videos. Great work.
Thank you very much for your encouraging words and your subbing! I hope to make more vids soon when I finally get some free time. Thanks again!
I did it just to feel "NORMAL" to cope with this abrasive world. I wish I was diagnosed as a child. How different my life could have been. Poor mum was always wanting to know what was wrong with me
Damn I relate to that a lot.
I had a serious breakdown when I was 25, living in my own for the first time, and being confronted with how bad I am at just life in general.
I eventually ended up reading a lot about all kinds of personality disorders in a desperate attempt to find out what was wrong with me.
I eventually landed on ADHD/autism.
I confronted my mom about my childhood, wanting to find out wether I had certain behaviors as a child.
Then she just told me that I had appointments with therapists and Psychologist, that I knew NOTHING off, fairly early on in my life, and that they guessed I was probably autistic.
With 25 my mom told me that.
By that time I spend a good 10 years depressed and partly socially isolated, trying to figure out why I was a fucked up and weird.
The thought that I could have received help and support if my mom would have taken the advice seriously made me really angry and sad.
I cried, mourning the life I could have had. Eventually I forgave my mom. She did try to take care of me, and she does love me, for which I am grateful, but man, this feeling of going in this months long exploration and confrontation with my own short comings and pathological condition, trying to figure out why I suffered immensely in my Formative years, just for someone to tell me it could have all been prevented.
It felt like someone shot me.
I still think back to how happy I was as a child. It's sad to imagine how I went from a happy kid to a severely depressed and lonely person, and how nobody thought to help me.
This opens my eyes more about my little sister she heavily on meth and I've tried to help her many times but I need to try and understand why she having this problem and inform myself about Asperger
I'm sorry to hear about your sister's struggle. See if she'll watch my video. Maybe it will help her. People often do drugs to self medicate and your sister is probably using for the same reason. Has she ever mentioned why she is using or if she's using to cope with aspects of asperger's?
Mike Soluna I've tried talking to but its so hard for her to open up to me I really care and love her just want to be able to help her
The sad fact is that people only stop using when they are really ready to. Despite years of my friends and family telling me that I needed to stop drinking, I only stopped when I realized I had to due to my deteriorating health. All you can really do is be there for her and keep trying to convince her that her life will be better if she stops using. People often start using to cope with trauma. Help her pinpoint what may have happened in her life that made her start using in the first place. That's the only way she can start to work past her addiction. Best of luck.
i'm gonna say something harsh, but maybe her life is objectively better with meth than without meth. that doesn't mean that the meth is not destructive. it is and it is in many ways.
maybe try to convince her to get an adderall or ritalin prescription, which is safer and at therapeutic doses not damaging
Thank you Mike. This is a superb video.
Awesome talk Mike! Thanks so much. Just "lost" my Aspie boyfriend because of this....Tragic. I'm trying to learn more. Currently reading," Drinking, Drug Use, and Addiction in the Autism Community." by by Ann Palmer (Author), Elizabeth Kunreuther (Author), Tony Attwood (Foreword)
Holy shit this was me for the longest time with weed and nicotine and eventually I found myself doing the same things that you were talking about in the video I did weed and nicotine because I thought I would get socially accepted more often because of bad crowds and it eventually got me into even more bad crowds and it got me into all sorts of trouble and it was some of the worst times of my life and I pray that because of what I’ve seen with my dad and marajana and alcohol abuse and dependency where he almost died from it and went to the hospital twice for it and fell and had a giant gash on his forehead from it for a while and went to detox for about a week or two almost and then came back and sense then it’s skied me a lot of things and has gotten me completely devoted to sobriety and to and trying to prevent others from drinking and smoking drugs and nicotine and abusing said substances and even going as far as to asking as trying to steer my girlfriend away from said substances and just making sure that she only does it once a month for her own mental safety and capacity
Every “tick” I seen in this video, is everything I was told I have. I only knew the ticks after people told me. I’ve been addicted to alcohol since I was 12. Started hard drugs (never a needle) at 18. Substance was what made me seem normal. It was the best mask ever. I always knew I was off. My family made shit comments a lot. Some in front of me and others they thought “over my head” I got diagnosed recently. I’m 27. I won’t tell my family bc how they been to me my whole life. I’m not stupid. My brother was diagnosed at 16. Btw, we are from small town with no mental help within 4 hours . My family talks bad on my brother “he doesn’t know” or “understand” and I’m scared. I don’t want them to change their mind about my level of “dumb” bc they find out I’m autistic. My brother and I aren’t dumb! In fact, we are the only people, both maternal and paternal sides (full siblings) to get a degree! I’m so scared! Bc their opinion shouldn’t matter but it really does to me.
I know what you mean. I only started talking about my Aspieness now. The first time I was diagnosed at 19 I literally deleted that doc and tried to forget about it. But now I think we deserve to have our own community where we can communicate and share ideas in our own special way. After speaking to so many more Aspie I realised that I only feel normal with other Aspie. The deficit I feel with NTs isn't there with Aspies.
I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at 4. I’m 19 and I have been smoking cigarettes and weed since I was 14. Substances make me way more sociable and less creepy, weed helps with my anxiety too.
Your verbal and facial skills actually seem very good. Better than me, and I'm not obviously autistic but so so (meh) as a communicator. See my vids, you'll understand. Alcohol is a pleasure I find, in moderation, but often too stressful the day after.
Mike, Congrats on 4 months. Also congrats on your new major! I know about self-medication. I am still looking for a diagnosis for ADHD, but for a lot of my life, I used to self-medicate by drinking coffee (those with ADHD tend to need stimulant medication to concentrate, focus, and surprisingly, calm down).
+Aislinn Lujan Thanks, Aislinn. When I was a young kid my parents used to give me caffeine to help me focus due to my ADHD too.
Hey my friend. It would give me great hope if you would answer with a success story after 5 years.
I absolutely feel you
as a functioning autistic i struggle with overthinking things to the point to where i come to realizations that are way too heavy to handle or just get too worn out to go on so i go to marijuana to numb my guilt and pain that comes from my realizations and experiences with the outside world
thank you for this video, related to *everything,* especially the irony that disassociation integrates physical stimuli better, I felt that way with weed. Also that cop story just broke me...
I am so proud of you! My brother died of liver and kidney failure due to alcoholism. He had severe social issues all of his life and now I think I understand his thinking just a little bit better. I believe he had aspergers that went undiagnosed. He had many of the symptoms. I miss him. Best wishes on your path to sobriety.
4 months?? Congratulations. I have been an addict all my life. From heroin to valium and Lyrica now. Its a terrible prison but the only way I could survive this world without killing myself. My anxiety is debilitating. I'm a single mother and I can barely cope. I was diagnosed only a few years ago. My family doesnt take it seriously. My support is people like you sharing. Thank you. "to feel OK in your skin" I understand that completely. Self medication.
I had a time clean and I was so happy but I was in a rehab. I liked being in there. When I left my mum died andni relapsed. I really hope to be clean again one day. I felt strong. And God was with me. God has kept me alive. My life is a struggle as I'm very sensitive but I'm getting stronger.
We have a very similar story and situation. Would you like to connect?
I feel exactly the same. I smoke weed instead of drinking. How did you handle all the emotions after you quit?
Yeah, drinking makes me feel inefficient. With MJ it helps with my procrastination and makes me do stuff.
"When its all ALL ABOUT ANXIETY! " hun
Its ALWAYS all about Anxiety. Always.
- Its never NOT ABOUT anxiety.
M. IL.
does it matter that it doesnt help.
if you dont feel like crap.
Thank you so much for making this video!
Firstly congratulations! Second, I understand how you feel alcohol is a hard habit to quit, but once someone frees themselves from a habit it can get easier, not totally and it can be a fight throughout someones life.... I really get as I have to take pain and nerve medications due to a water burn injury that gave me 3'rd degree burns on 33% of my body mostly my feet and right leg and it has been a battle of balancing between relief and addiction for most my life. I've thankfully been in a great place for a few years now and hope to keep it that way. Still always technicslly a balancing act everyday though cause I still have to know the differences between when I need the medicine or if it's just a want. I have a great doctor though and loving family to help stay in focus!
+Stephanie White I'm glad you can relate. I hope you maintain sobriety as best as possible. I know other people who got hooked on pain meds due to injury and now through no fault of their own are addicted. My stepdad's brother was one and he ended up dying.
Thanks for sharing. I am also on the spectrum and have dealt with addiction issues for the last 13 years. That cop story killed me. How can someone even think that is alright? Just goes to show how little people understand about autism.
I am looking into whether I am on the spectrum (if not, something very similar?). All the accredited tests I've been taking have been saying I'm in a high likelihood, and also I have a long history with alcohol. So that's how I found your video. Looks like it was uploaded a couple years ago. How are you doing now?
Great Vids, it has really helped me to understand aspergers better. Your openness and frankness is amazing, also the language you use is really helpful and clear. Thank you very much. Great work!
Takes a lot of courage to admit this.. TOTAL RESPECT
I will say that I still use the drug known as "Tina" to help with the depression and social anxiety side of Asperger's, I smoke a pack of fags a day and have been since age 14 and im 34 now. But as far as using Tina for energy, mood elevation and other things, but i have been fortunate enough to not let my addiction progress to the point where I would engage in reckless (not to mention ILLEGAL) behavior to get my next fix like an opioid addict would because opioid users are basically trying to get just enough to not only be able to function but to stave off what could be a fatal withdrawal
Dude i cant believe somebody else mentioned DXM, ive done that too. I liked it for the same reasons, it's a dissociative, perfect escape. It was so much what i was looking for that it became an issue, i knew i was doing it too much, it was causing me to get these sores on my body so i did quit. I threw up from it basically every time too but still loved it.
More recently i had been smoking weed so much to help. It was a bit different i think, to make me feel more comfortable in my own skin, made me feel more at ease in social situations. It wasnt a good habit, had to have it more than daily, the way i was using it was not chill.
I'm now off of it, i just take an antidepressant now. I was afraid that trying to quit would b too hard for me but with the pills i managed it. Coping skills r hard
Thank you for sharing your life! You are an amazing and strong young man! Good luck! I know you will beat alcohol dependence! 👏
My son was recently diagnosed and is struggling with alcoholism. His life sounds very much like yours. I wish he'd chat with you.
God bless.
Thanks for this video. This is a big help cause I did the self-medicating . Social anxiety ugh!!
Thank you so much for posting; it's so helpful to families with teens who have autism, especially our young ones who have been targeted because they are vulnerable in terms of their social skills. Keep posting; it's important.
And the drug tina doesn't have painful and potentially life threatening withdrawal symptoms like those with alcohol cocaine and opioids. And then again it has its drawbacks such as coming down youll tend to get irritability and excessive sleepiness. And because you'll develop a tolerance over time to where youll need to smoke more than a 1/4 gram a day just to get the same desired effect and then to a whole gram after a couple months of continuous use
Doctors have told me I can't have Asperger's because I drink and do other substances, despite my diagnosis. Literally every autistic person I know except for one drinks ethanol passionately and is also open to other substances.
Autistic people are especially prone to liking any kind of dissociative like ethanol or anticonvulsant hypnotic like a benzo. Stimulants are more often prescribed by doctors, mainly because doctors mix up autism with ADHD, because, I don't know? It's not even that similar, only very superficially similar.
So I have never really done "drugs" per say but if I get bored I do find I go eat food or drink a pop or other comfort food. I find that I need something to occupy me and food and stuff like that accomplishes that goal. Does any other aspie have issues with boredom?
Absolutely, though I don't think that is a trait unique to people with asperger's.
Only when there's no Internet. Otherwise there's always something to do I guess.
Good video bro. I have 6 months sober myself and I have had similar situations where I have been socially awkward and niave and I too fell into using alcohol in order to fit in. Right now I have been in AA and outpatient therapy and been working the steps of AA. Through doing this I have learned alot about myself and learned acceptance. This has greatly helped me in my recovery. That and my spirituality that I have been developing through AA and working the steps have been greatly a help. Plus going to AA meetings helps me on a social standpoint as well with learning and re-teaching myself on how to socialize and to learn to deal with my Aspergers.
2016 but it looks like it’s from 2006
i have abused amphetamine methamphetamine ketamine xtc 2cb shrooms 4fmp alcohol but most of the time benzodiazepines like alprazolam diazepam midazolam or temazepam
thet have helped me whit anxiaty
They all help in the short run. But after a while they lose their beneficial effects and cause many problems down the road.
I can always switch drugs if the benzos lose potency i can switch to ghb if the ghb loses potenty i can start heroin if heroin loses potency i can go back to the benzos if im done whit that shit i go to ketamine if ketamine doesnt help i can use meth
As long as i dont feel my anxiaty or other shit i dont like
I fucking hate life 😧
Having Asperger´s is no guarantee for not having problems with substance abuse.
Thanks!
I love your attitude , I hope it all worked out ! 😊
how do you cope without alcohol or drugs ?
MoonYue17 ssri zoloft wk for me one day to the other !! I drank 7 liters daily and now i dont do any booze ciggaretes coke !! And i stopped in 24 hrs if idrink i get so anxious and even worst with tabbacco !! Coke i use to do it calms me down with the booze !, yukk
In the 5th Grade I was diagnosed with aspergers and have barely had therapy (because of lack of insurance) so I have no medication or therapy. I’m 18 now and started using weed at 14. I didn’t start doing it frequently until last year but I’ve always had an unhealthy experience with it. Now it’s sort of like a comfort thing and I have decided to stop on the 16th of January and I’m struggling. The days are just getting longer longer and it feels so easy to just smoke and feel normal. Also since I’m only 18 I’m scared that my overdependance is giving me brain damage...
I'm literally self medicating and drinking one beer after the other right now, and I fuckin hate it, and I dont know how
Much longer I can live this life. I'm separating myself more and more from people and from society. I'm spending more time in the woods, and in the mountains alone. It's the only
Place I feel happy, and free. Society feels
Like a prison to me.
Im an aspie and am struggling very hard with addiction right now and I really need some help!
go to a detox not to be rude I have had to and no shame in it can get better I have 2 years clean and I never thought would be possible remind yourself what its making you do
I drank for 30 years and coke !! I took setraline i stopped drinking smoking and coke one day to the other !! Ssri regulated my anxiety and started to look into it why i happen to changed with zoloft and i been sober over year , i was in awhile hit the bowl of weed but doing cbd ashwangha and setraline some xanax if necessary for sleep!, i did alot of alcohol to wind down because i did high end retail for 20 years just got worst with time as i masked with booze to be normal ! We love sugar and booze the feeling is X10 the rush and feeling like sex or porn too !! Stay well thanks
I went 5 months sober before i went back to drinking, i went straight back to cutting myself,punching myself and bashing my head against walls. I dont know what to do anymore, i dont understand my self and nobody in my life doest either. I just feel lost.
100th Subscriber!
Awesome! Thank you so much! And as the 100'th sub, you win tickets to see Metallica! Nah, but thanks man.
Thank u undiagnosed aspergers 31 been drinking since 13 have dyspraxia... Can this be linked to aspergers. Ty buddy
Congratulations brother. I think I might have aspergers as well.
How do you feel about medical marijuana?
Personally I feel if it’s with someone who has autism they should have an irl friend to make sure the dosage is good and give them a non addictive experience
have you ever used pot?
+Autistic Guitar I have
Mike Cassell what do you think of it?
Autistic Guitar
It was ok.
I don't think pot is very harmful of a substance at all and I think it should be legalized, but I don't use it anymore.
Mike Cassell did it help you?
Why would anyone down vote this?
thanks for the video. i think my boyfriend is in this situation
You're welcome. Is he sober now or currently addicted?
currently addicted. he is getting motivational enhancement therapy and has worked on a few goals like cutting back in some ways, but i think he feels like he needs alcohol to get through life with undiagnosed asperger's
***** Is he trying to get a diagnosis? If so they may be able to suggest the help he needs which will help him ween off of alcohol.
Also, thanks for the sub!
How’s your sobriety?
How are you doing now?
this is me
i have it and im an alcoholic this video opened my eyes knowing im not the only one (=