Anyone else involved in recovery from booze/drugs?

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I'm not sure where this topic belongs. If the moderators wish to move it, that's fine with me. For eighteen years, I was getting wasted. Perhaps the booze and drugs lessened my extreme sensitivity to noise and light? I don't know. However, in my Narcotics Anonymous home group, I just celebrated 34 years clean time. It was great, surrounded by fellow addicts. I talked about my autism because I used to manipulate my parents to send me money, telling them that I was "emotionally disturbed" and implied that they caused it. Then I spent it on booze and drugs. Finally I got sick and tired of being wasted all of the time and not being able to hold a job for very long. So I sought recovery in AA and later in NA. After my recovery, I was finally able to stay in jobs and learn computer programming. I just retired from 18 years of programming. Also I was finally able to confront the fact that I'm still autistic and I got my diagnosis.

I'd like to know other autistics who are in recovery -- or wish to explore recovery -- from booze, drugs, gambling, or other addictions.

I wouldn't exactly say I'm officially "in recovery", but I do have a drinking problem and I've been avoiding it altogether for a couple of months now. I am usually fine with drinking when I don't feel like I have to drink, and until I get to a better place in my life, I'm probably going to use it to self-medicate. So I'm trying to avoid it for now.

I think it's really great that you have been clean for so long. It's a great accomplishment, and I'm sure that had you not been able to make that choice, you probably would not have been able to have the success that you've had.