Asperger's & alcholism

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I'm from Norway, the most backwards country when it comes to drugs....

MAYBE pot will be decriminalized 15-20 years after it's become legal in the rest of the world...

I know how that feels. In the US it varies from state to state and for a while I was living in one of the weed-is-illegal states. They say it causes paranoia but I only ever felt paranoid when smoking when there was a possibility of getting carted away to jail.

QFT

It's related, at least to me.
Alcohol is about one the few substances that makes me feel happy.
Although dangerous, I enjoy drinking.

I went to AA for about 6 meetings. They were very accepting and it was interesting to hear stories of other people's battles with alcohol. But, I found there to be an inherent social element to the program.
You are encouraged to talk to others and bond and eventually get a sponsor. This just was not going to happen for me. I am not capable of socializing at the best of times, never mind when it's about something as personal as this.

Interesting to think that there might be a correlation between Asperger's and alcoholism. I have used alcohol to cope since I was 14. Less so now, though; I think because I am taking effective medication.

Hi, new here.

This is one of the bigger issues that I hope to address with an assessment for aspergers.

This and going back to school and to validate all those hours I put in studying 'wierd stuff'.

I basically drink myself to sleep 9 out of 10 days. I force myself to quit for weeks or even months at a time (usually when I am particularly poor in the winter, I am a gardener and dont work much in that season) but there have been many a morning I have woken up realizing that I had put an insane amount of money and time into alcohol spanning the last few months. Where did those months go exactly? What was that money used for?

Anyways it is clear to me now that I have been using it as a coping method.

Thank you for posting this thread, I am curious to see if it leads to any insight. If it does I am happy to guinea pig for you all.

You know speaking of guinea pigs I would totally participate in any study involving people who drink regularly...I have to admit I tend to drink most days of the week if I can. I try not to drink too many days in a row though but meh, I sometimes fail at that because not only do I drink but people I know drink so they offer it......and I don't like to turn down a drink, beer or shot. That said I certainly do not get 'drunk' everyday.

I had a medical marijuana card for Asperger's but I threw it away. I don't like pot anymore.

Damn, you should have somehow changed the name and picture(if there is a picture on it) and given it to me.... obviously that would have probably been impossible but still I happen to enjoy pot. Anyways I should try and get an MMJ card for marijuana for my AS, PTSD, Anxiety and Depression.

Alcohol and me don't mix. I just don't enjoy the sensation of being inebriated like some do and it tends to make me close off and become hyper-defensive rather than open up. I used to smoke pot but then it got weird and ugly. It was causing me panic attacks, pain and pressure in my ears and seizures so I stopped using it. Now, I use nothing. I have no money for therapy, am on no prescription medications and I just deal with life and my strong emotions through the brute force of will. The only thing I use on a regular basis is generic sleeping pills with dyphenhydramine hydrochloride as their active ingredient.

You sound like me, especially a year to three years ago.

Well, you know what work is in front of you. You can put it off 'til tomorrow. Unless tomorrow is the day you can't stop, so there's always today.

What worked for me is I found myself a devouring special interest and just dove in.

hmm are you sure the sleeping pills aren't causing you any problems? I mean I don't know I just probably would not want to take any because I already have a hard enough time getting out of bed and I hear the side effecs of sleeping pills tend to include drowsiness, and a lethargic state you know the things I normally sleep to avoid.

Anyways I know I couldn't deal with all my crap through sheer will power so I guess that is kind of impressive in my opinion.

I haven't had a drink in over 15 years. I used to drink A LOT starting from when I was around 13 to my early 20's. I tried the AA thing but the hand holding in a circle, and the fact that it seemed like a cult to me, creeped me out so I only went two times. Every time I wanted a drink I would think of that creepy AA meeting and I wouldn't want to drink. I can't even say I've craved it very much in all these years. Now the thought and smell of it are repulsive to me. I guess in a strange way AA did help me quit

I did start using cannabis though 4 or 5 years ago and let me tell you, as someone very experienced with alcohol, cannabis is MUCH better for your body. No black outs, hangovers, puking, fried liver, etc,. In fact my back hurt for years because of muscle tension from anxiety. It's gone now. The cannabis also helps me to not fixate on things. When I started using it I had no idea that it would have this effect but the difference is very noticeable to me. Fixation is a pretty big deal for me. I'm also not on edge all the time and snappy.

Well first off 15 years? damn that is a long time to go without a drink at least from my perspective, but I can't say its a bad thing you have gone that long without it. Anyways Cannabis has a lot less negative side effects...I mean most negative side effects come from smoking it not the cannabanoids. I admit I do smoke it knowing this but hey, I don't have an MMJ card so I don't typically have access to edibles nor can I afford enough cannabis to make them myself.

When I first started smoking I got the panic attacks and general feeling of malaise and did not like it or what it did to my mental state at all. For me things got better when I started trying to take care of my anxiety and figure out what was causing me to be so upset all the time. I also learned ways to trick myself out of panic attacks before they got to that point, or to bring myself down from one while it was happening.

My fiance loves the stuff and I enjoy doing it with him. It brings us closer and helps me relax when I'm feeling an intense emotion, especially one like frustration. However, I've noticed that with some strains/qualities the feelings of panic, fear, and especially discomfort seem to intensify. I can't remember which is which but I think I like the type that gives less of an effect on my body and more of a mental effect. My body already feels out-of-place so making it feel even weirder isn't something I really want to happen.

EDIT: Not saying that you should continue to try it; seizures would be enough to scare me away from it forever.