Do you think AS makes addictions more likely?

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20 Jul 2015, 5:51 am

Do you think having AS means your your more likely to develop addictions? I don't mean just drugs and alcohol but any compulsive behaviour. For example: gaming, spending, over exercising, self injury, eating too much, starving yourself, kleptomania and other things.

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Norny
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20 Jul 2015, 8:08 am

Yes if it's a special interest, otherwise probably the opposite.

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kraftiekortie
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20 Jul 2015, 8:09 am

I believe loneliness makes addictions more likely--not necessarily the AS directly.

lostonearth35
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20 Jul 2015, 8:37 am

I'm very anti-drugs-and-alcohol and there's a difference between an interest and an unhealthy obsession with anything. On the other hand, there is no one else around to tell me to get away from the computer and do the dishes or go to bed. Being a single adult rocks.

Jacoby
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20 Jul 2015, 8:58 am

In a roundabout way probably, I dunno what the rate is of drug use or drug addiction on the spectrum but I imagine anxiety/depression/sensory/etc issues probably lead many people to addiction as a means of coping.

olympiadis
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20 Jul 2015, 9:09 am

I think anhedonia probably plays a big part in it.

Rocket123
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20 Jul 2015, 9:58 am

Norny wrote:

Yes if it's a special interest, otherwise probably the opposite.

This is true for me.

starfox
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20 Jul 2015, 10:23 am

Interesting

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kraftiekortie
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20 Jul 2015, 10:48 am

I am on the Spectrum, feel pleasure, and am not addicted to anything.

ASPartOfMe
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20 Jul 2015, 3:00 pm

Yes as "repetitive behaviors" are one of the two main core traits.

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naturalplastic
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20 Jul 2015, 3:41 pm

I suspect that ADHD nudges more people into drug/alcohol addictions than do AS disorders. ADHD'ers tend to be more into thrill seeking (from what I understand).

Autism spectrumites have factors that cut both ways (threaten and shield you from chemical addictions) so my guess is it cancels out, and that AS folks get addictions at about the same rate as do NTs. Aspies and auties lack friends so they don't get peer pressured to try cigarettes, and the like as teens.

Eric2971
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20 Jul 2015, 3:46 pm

There is (of course) a study about this.

Excerpt:

Quote:

The conclusions of this latest study call into question these previous inferences: autistic study subjects were just as likely as their non-autistic peers to use marijuana or alcohol, and were actually more likely to become hooked.

The study can be found here Autism connection to Addiction

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starfox
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20 Jul 2015, 4:06 pm

Hmm. I'm curious about this I have problems with some of the things i mentioned above and repetitive behaviours and has caused problems in my life and getting in the way of me achieving my best.

It's always difficult to stop even though I know logically I should. Thinking I'm probably going to be predisposed to taking things to excess. Kinda sucks.

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