Are people with AS predisposed to drug abuse?

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Technically it's impossible to dump the blame entirely on one person. But I agree that drug use is an especially bad idea if you've been diagnosed AS.

hard drugs should be avoided with AS as the psychological addiction will be twice as strong imo. in the past ive done coke, amphetamines, mushies and mdma. the only thing i dont regret doing is ganja.

I would never get into drugs. Ever.

I became a stoner and I started making friends through the bonding of smoking herb with other individuals. They become your friends with a common bond and then you start getting invited to parties and you meet girls. I find myself more socially open when im under the influence and so far the only way I seem to be scoring dates 1-1 is flirting under the influence. Kush make my Social Anxiety completely disappear under the influence.

I applied for a Medical Marijuana license for the state of California. As an Aspie, gettin one was easier then getting my drivers license and now I can Smoke legally, Grow legally and goto clinics for not only plants and herbs. But I can also buy food with it in it. Soda, lollypops, Magical cookies, Special Brownies, Banana Nut Bread bonanza, even chocolate bars.

Now I have a group of friends and im dating frequently.

But thats just me.

I am in the group of strict rule followers You definitely will never catch me smoking or drinking. I'm a tiny bit (meaning a lot) obsessed about stuff that can kill you like cancer and car accidents and I will research for hours until my eyes tell me to fall asleep (Like at 3 am). In that regard I go overboard in the other direction

I don't think these two things are really that far away from each other. People who are different will sometimes self-medicate in order to fit in better. They are actually two sides of the same coin, really.

Yeah, back in school I hung around with the pot people, they were more open-minded and less sloppy and violent than drinkers, but after a few paranoia attacks, I had to stop.

Now (in my old age) I'm glad I get ritalin for the ADD, it helps with focus and motivation. Although not as much as the real thing. Turns out there's a pharmaceutical that's better, with fewer side effects. But "unfortunately" it makes you feel good - as in Life is Worth Living, projects and work that I've avoided are suddenly fun, I have the energy and enthusiasm I had as a child, I can enjoy whatever I'm doing more. So it goes without saying that it's strictly controlled and all but banned in the US. Look it up: it's called desoxyn.

From Wikipedia:
"Despite the potential benefits Desoxyn has over other stimulants in treating ADHD and narcolepsy, there is an enormous stigma attached to it due to its association with street methamphetamine... ...many doctors are either unwilling or unable to prescribe it.
However, research has indicated that ADD/ADHD patients treated with stimulants are in fact less likely to use substances problematically than patients who are not treated with these drugs, and there is little evidence that prescription stimulant use under a medical program administered by a doctor leads to problematic use."

Last edited by tomart on 19 Jan 2008, 5:30 pm, edited 4 times in total.

I don't know.

On one hand, I would say yes. The obvious reason would be peer pressure. But also, I don't know about anyone else here, but I was put on Ritalin and Phenobarbital (the latter made me psychotic) as a means of making me docile and easier to manage. (Although that was not their stated purpose.) It was all about control. I learned very little about real life coping skills but what I DID learn is that if you have a problem--take a pill. It will go away. And we wonder why there is a drug problem out there.

On the other hand, the experience I had with Phenobarbital has led me to a lifelong distrust of all drugs especially those that affect the mind. My health care provider knows that with me anti-depressants are not an option. The subject is not negotiable. Period. I enjoy drinking alcohol (wine and beer mostly) but I do not enjoy getting drunk. I have a hard enough time coping with life sober. And as far as the illegal stuff goes, well, I have often wondered why a NT person can behave in the most outrageous manner under the influence and not be shunned, when I have been shunned and teased for far far less.

So I would say it really depends on the person, their motivations, and what he or she has access to. I was not in a circle where I had ready access to drugs or alcohol, therefore that was not an issue. And I wanted my freedom more than anything else and I was not about to let anything mess it up.

i do use ritalin..cant sometimes work whitout it..so i kinda need it

I am new to this site, but I have a 9 year old son with Asperger's. He's had a really difficult time dealing with the social aspects and also some learning disabilities. Recently, it was brought to my attention, by my son's school, that he was 'dusting' with canned air. For any of you that are not familiar with this, it causes a high - like huffing. I found out about this about a month ago, and this morning I walked into the office and saw him with it. He looked as though he was about to go into a convulsion and was drooling. It was a very scary reality check for me. I guess I'm looking for insight as to how to relate to him and explain to him the dangers. I also wanted to know if any of you experienced depressive symptons during childhood. (I saw that there is a child section to this sight, and I would like for him to check that out in the future, but I don't think this topic would be appropriate for younger children).

nah. Tried pot, made me horny. Why pay money for something (at 15) you had too much of for free anyways?.. no other effects to speak of.

Never got into drinking much, now I can't if I wanted to. Welp, hasn't hurt me...