How to handle alcoholism?

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I just tried to sneak some alcohol from my dad and stepmom and my dad found out about it. I keep craving alcohol and I don't want to go into some treatment program. Just thought I'd share that with my fellow aspies. Any thoughts?

There is no way to handle alcoholism except to stay away from alcohol.

I agree with the above poster: just stay away from it.

That's like telling a smoker to just stay away from cigarettes, or one of us to stop stimming.

you can go to AA or you can get involved in some other program that is an alternative to AA. They are free and it is really helpful to have support from peers. You can go online to a recovery forum for alcohol addiction and post. Some of them even have chatrooms for meetings online. I think one is called soberrecovery, you can google it. In person meetings are better but there is plenty of help online too.

I don't agree with your last comparison at all. Stimming is natural, everyone stims. Everyone being an alcoholic is not natural. Point being: Stay away from alcohol etc. Isn't that the main point in treatment facilities?

I uses to drink, but now I just stay away from alcohol.

Audiophile

I don't think so. The question was 'How to handle alcoholism'. There is no way to 'handle' it except to avoid alcohol. One can get help (AA) or go through rehab or whatever, but it still comes out the same way. For some, alcohol is a trap and the only way to handle it is to avoid the trap.

My mum's BF goes to AA, and he says most of them just trade tips on how to not get caught drinking. Not sure how effective it can really be.

Talk to your GP about it & they might be able to make you an appointment with a psychologist who specializes in addiction. I'm not sure if there will be a waiting list or not so I agree that you should look for and attend a support group in the mean time because they'll most likely be able to offer better advice than to simply stay away from alcohol - I know it's not that easy (my mum had a drinking problem).

Try to occupy your mind with other, healthier things. I drink quite a bit so I know how it is.

Try just to have one 'session' a day and don't go overboard. I had three pints of mild (3.5%) this afternoon and called it quits at that.

I don't know what the weather's like where you are, but can you get out at all to do something interesting or useful? There's bound to be something to do.

I am surprised that alcohol and drugs are not mentioned more on this site.

I would have thought it was common for people with AS to drink or take drugs so that they can cope with social situations

My very good AS-ish friend is an alcoholic....He started drinking heavily when he was young as a buffer for his stress, insomnia and sensory overload.
He would scoff at the person who told him to go to AA.

I wish there was some way that I could help him, but since he has no desire to help himself, there is very little I can do.

He does stay away from hard liquor though, which is good.

I drink casually, but alcohol can cause me to have meltdowns beyond a certain point.

It helps serve as a buffer against the stress and social anxiety involved in my job as a bartender. I might start the evening with a couple of drinks to take the edge off, and then switch over to green tea....I don't drink during the day, and I don't drink when I don't have to be around people...I would not call myself an alcoholic...I don't crave it..I am just not a teetotaler.

I went through a phase when I was younger where I was a heavy drinker...but i got over it on my own.

I might or might not know much about anything else, but this is a subject I know.

Please allow me to add some precision to that statement:

There is no way to deal with an alcoholic's inability to control how much he or she drinks other than to stay away from alcohol.

When an alcoholic takes a drink, the drink takes a drink and the alcoholic has no control. Some people argue about that and try all sorts of things, but abstinence is the only way to keep alcohol from controlling an alcoholic's drinking.



Yes, and that is problem number two for the alcoholic:

Along with being unable to control his or her drinking, neither can he or she leave it alone altogether.



Correct: Not everyone who drinks is an alcoholic.



Yes, and that is one reason so many people end up going back to "treatment" over and over again. Remember:

Along with being unable to control his or her drinking, neither can the alcoholic leave it alone altogether.



If you have a desire to stay away from it altogether, you will have to find something to do for you what the alcohol seems to do.

i am 11 years clean and sober. My personal veiw is we ASD people can be susceptible and vulnerable to substance addictions because of our routined and repetitive tendencies and because of our pain at being a bit different.

I actually do 12 step programs. I have found them good for me, but not without their problems. But I am there to stay sober and clean and not to gossip, trade negative tips or hang with other people. I find the "group" antics quite difficult but I steer clear of all of that kind of thing and I go because I have an issue with substances and I like to live a life of abstinence. I feel really good and positive about this aspect of my life and there is no way I could ever return to drinking and drugging to cope with my AS and me feelings of difference.

I do know 12 step programs are not suitable for everyone and I also know there are some aspects of AA and NA i find really annoying. I say so. And i still have a chair there because it helps me.

I might add I have found some people in NA and AA to be extraordinarily compassionate about my ASD. Others have been revolting. I focus on the nice people and am learning to ignore the nasty ones.

Last edited by millie on 29 Jan 2010, 2:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I ate food. Mainly chocolate, because it stimulates the same neural pathways as alcohol/drugs. I was deathly afraid of alcohol/drugs, any kind, for years because I knew I could turn into an addict immediately. It was a major undertaking to convince me to take meds for my comorbids. I have rotted teeth because I ate so much chocolate, and always forgot to brush. I have caps on all my lower molars. My grandfather had dentures by the time he was 30 because of the same thing. He started with food, then it was coffee and cigars, and he nearly died before he dried out. I am 320 lbs, and my natural weight is 190. I live with my parents and my dad still abuses me and I don't have the money to leave. So I'm under a lot of stress. I'm surprised I don't have diabetes by now. I do have high blood pressure.