Anyone self-medicate with alcohol...

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I tend to drink more than moderately towards the end of the day (four-five alcoholic drinks). It dulls my senses, and slows my mind down enough to where I'm not extremely stressed. I had eight drinks a few days ago and finished a very detailed and spatially accurate drawing. My passion is drawing and painting. I get extremely distracted by noises around me, and alcohol helps block out those noises to where my motor functions are less jerky.

I know this sounds awful; I just thought it was an interesting observation and was wondering if anyone else has--or had--this problem.

I have at times, sometimes to excess

Yes, but I'm trying to limit myself to a maximum of 45 units of alcohol per week - have been successful in this so far this year.

Same here, It seems when life is getting on top of me, I can drink in excess for 3 days to a week, before I sort of get sick of it and stop drinking and don't touch another drink for weeks or even months.

I sometimes do use it to help me sleep when I have not been sleeping well, despite what doctors have told me about it actually disrupting your sleep, sometimes going to bed tipsy but hydrated is the only way I actually feel like I have gotten any sleep.

I had a vodka mix drink last night and alcohol definitely does make me feel calmer. I don't drink very much obviously as you can see my age, just my mum gives me it occasionally. I don't think I've ever exceeded 3 units in a day. Being a little "tipsy" I suppose it is, I don't need very much for its effects to start. I don't intend on being alcoholic.

Two glasses of beer daily. Doesn't help though but I like beer so no matter.

Haha...great answer

I've decided to replace my nightly 3+ glasses of rum on ice with coffee. I think most of it is I have to have something in my hand, something structurally dynamic that affects me physically. Like if I can't find rum, I'll smoke a cigar, or when I'm not too lazy I'll make coffee. When I don't have alcohol, a hot cup of coffee, or a cigar in my hand I tend to rock and stim more. I'll force myself to make coffee every night from now on...
Oddly enough, coffee calms me down and makes me feel less angry, and I can go straight to sleep after drinking a cup.

I detest alcohol and everything to do with it - and used to drink to a hell of an excess. The kind of excess where your doctor tells you quit or die. I chose the former. I never drank around anyone else, only alone and only at night, like the OP, to slow my senses down and deal with my sleeping problems. It really doesn't help anything in the long run, and its a cheat's way out. Learning to manage your own mind is much more effective.

I have. Past few months now been alcohol free, I have a harder time calming down during down times. Of course, half the time i'd have a drink and it'd be too much for what the desired effect was.

Being alcohol free will hopefully help me find a calm mental space that I can access without having to have the alcohol at all, but we'll see.

Yes, I drink a couple of glasses of cider (gluten free ) most evenings, I also smoke a little weed at the same time as I find the combination of the 2 means I can get away with much smaller doses of either. It really does wonders for my temper and slows my brain down just enough that I can get my thoughts down on paper (maths when sober, art and design when not ). It does come at a cost to my already poor executive functioning though, a price I am willing to pay.

I've been on Valium and Prozac before but stopped because they made me feel stupid, like my brain had turned to wool (the Valium more so, the prozac just made me feel like a happy idiot). All those pills ruined my appetite as well, I decided, if I was going to medicate I'd rather feel good whilst doing it.

Alcohol messes with my peripheral neuropathy too, so probably best from a strict body-health perspective that I stopped.

I have been off the grog now for 7weeks - I would cycle from a beer or two at night to a full blown blinder in a couple of months. It's been an interesting experiment - I found that the routine of beer o'clock was the hardest to break but I'm over that now.

I used grog to cope with a lot of symptoms, I am stimming more, take longer to de-stress and am not talking as much, I haven't tried any major social events yet but we will see - but I have used grog ever since my teens to cope with my symptoms, but have only been diagnosed in the last 6 months - so I'm sort of entering a phase of embracing my Aspie and getting to know myself as I am not as the world expects me to be.

It is difficult to use an addictive substance moderately.

I used to, have found it does not really suit me well...it is much better if I only indulge for enjoyment, otherwise I over-do it and might act stupid/dangerously. Of course I have had to come to terms with this over a few years but, better now than later though I suppose.

I have had people accuse me of potential 'alcoholism' before but I don't see how since I've never 'needed' it to ward off withdrawal symptoms....and anymore I cannot even stomach drinking that regularly for any length of time really...I'd say I have certainly abused it and over-done it but it would be a lie/cop out for me to say I'm addicted to it.

I do however self medicate with cannabis, cannot say I've ever gotten out of control or 'didn't remember' significant parts of the previous day from cannabis regardless of my initial mood when smoking it.

Last edited by Sweetleaf on 15 May 2015, 7:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I have self-medicated with alcohol throughout my life -- and cannabis also. I'm fortunate that I have a a bit of a built in tilt mechanism that keeps from going too far.

Yes, alcohol can be dangerous, especially during bouts of depression or insomnia. There have been times when I have abused it so I usually only have small amounts in the house and only buy what I intend to drink that night/weekend.