Losing Aspie tendencies when using certain drugs

Post Reply New Topic

I am new to this forum and someone who has never been actually diagnosed but has all the classic signs of having AS.

I have noticed that when under the influence of a certain drug I tend to lose most of the tendencies associated with AS and behave in a very NT way and actually enjoy behaving and experiencing this way.

To be more specific I lose my normal shyness, am able to maintain eye contact easily and naturally, interact easily with people, including strangers and actually genuinely enjoy this social interaction and have fun with it. I am also more open to intimacy. Rather than analyzing and worrying about every action I very spontaneously and am very much living in the now and feel quite alive and liberated.

I will not mention the particular drug but it is one that is illegal in most societies but not generally regarded as a hard drug. I am also not condoning the use of this drug as I believe it has dangerous side effects.

But I just find it interesting that I can actual behave in a very NT way and makes me think that this capability is inside me instinctively but gets blocked by perhaps some areas of my brain. Makes me wonder if there was some other way, perhaps neurologically of controlling this part of my brain my quality of life would be much better and I would truly fit into this world much better.

Anyone else had a similar experience?

No. On alcohol, I usually become louder, but not necessarily in an NT way. I do tend to be more interested in what other people are saying when I have a little buzz. On uppers I want to talk a whole lot, but not at all in an NT kind of way. And on weed or psychedelics I'm usually either obnoxious/borderline psychotic or very quiet.

Are you talking about weed/cannabis/marijuana? It seems some aspies report that they function socially much better when high on those drugs. There's even "medical marijuana" as a treatment for Asperger's and ADD in some places... I'd rather not take the risk of the side effetcs associated with it.

Let's see ... use cannibis to become more social and risk lower testosterone levels and an increased risk of emphesema, bronchitis, and cancer; or not use cannibis and retain my intellect, perceptivity, and health (such as it is) ... The choice is obvious: No weed for me!

I can't imagine how weed would help any, it makes me and most others I know quiet and paranoid. I remember I went to asmterdam once with a group of guys, we went into a cafe and smoked a load, lol we sat for 20 mins not saying a single word, way too stoned.

those risks are associated with smoking weed and are not side effects of the drug itself. If you used a vaporizer to breath in the THC from weed or if you ate something with weed baked into it, those side effects wouldn't be there. So saying you don't want to use weed because it has certain side effects would be like saying you don't want to drink water because the side effect of water is burning your skin off. (of course why would you drink room temperature water when you could drink boiling water? oh thats right, because you wouldn't have an argument against it in that case. )

Yes I once tried a drug that made me act and feel like a nice happy friendly normal person,
and it's really too bad that the drug can not be used continuously or even often because it
will soon exhaust and kill the specific brain cells it affects and there is nothing else like it.

There ARE other ways of using marijuana, not just smoking. Try brownies, or something. The side effects of marijuana are much less severe than alcohol or tobacco. The after effects, at least for me was a very good night's sleep. The next day always went by very smoothly and quickly, and I always felt 100%. Marijuana withdrawal symptoms are about the same as caffeine withdrawals. Mild irritability and such. Tobacco and alcohol withdrawals are MUCH worse. There is also no solid evidence that marijuana reduces testosterone, if THAT were the case, my old boss would be a woman by now. The potency of the marijuana also dtermines how safe it is, side effect wise. Higher potency means LESS needs to be used so the side effects are much less.
Also, when consumed orally, the side effects from smoking disappear altogether. Plus, magic brownies taste REALLY good.

The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). In 1988, it was discovered that the membranes of certain nerve cells contain protein receptors that bind THC. Once securely in place, THC kicks off a series of cellular reactions that lead to the high that users experience when they smoke marijuana.

Marijuana is addicting because it causes compulsive, uncontrollable drug craving, seeking, and use, even in the face of negative health and social consequences. Over 120,000 people enter treatment per year for their primary marijuana addiction.

Short-term effects when smoking cannibis:

Problems with memory and learning
Distorted perception
Difficulty in thinking and problem solving
Loss of coordination
Increased heart rate
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Daily cough and phlegm*
Symptoms of chronic bronchitis*
More frequent chest colds*

Long-term effects:

Abnormal functioning of lung tissue injured or destroyed by marijuana smoke*
Impairment of critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning

*Those effect marked with an asterisk are risks only when smoking cannibis. All of the other side-effects are present when ingesting cannibis or THC. THC changes the way in which sensory information gets into and is processed by the hippocampus, a brain component that is crucial for learning, memory, and the integration of senses with emotions. Previously learned behaviors also deteriorate.

If these aren't 'side-effects' of cannibis/THC use, then profuse bleeding is also not a side effect of having one's carotid artery sliced open.

For the record, I voted for California's 'Medical Marijuana Initiative,' and I'm an advocate for legalization at the federal level for the medical use of cannibis for terminally ill patients. I did not come to this level of support without first toroughly researching the subject. Marijuana is at least as risky as tobacco, and the risks are at least as well researched and documented.

But the risks are far outweighed by the humanitarian considerations given for relieving the pain and discomfort of terminally ill people.

Currently I am on an anti-depressant for my anxiety, and risperidone for "bipolar disorder". However, it would seem that many AS are diagnosed incorrectly with Bipolar Disorder.

Now, the good news is that I have been clean and sober for over two years now, and the medication has helped with the anxiety (AS symptom) and the meltdowns that I experienced. All in all, it's not the same social lubricant that either alcohol or weed can be, but I'll take it over the health effects of them.

I think we all know how dangerous Alcohol can be. It's still considered an socially acceptable substance, but the physical effects can be devestating. Weed isn't as well accepted, and the health effects are also rather unwelcome.

I also know that when I thought I was being more "NT" that was my perception. When you are sober and you see someone who has been drinking or smoking weed, you KNOW that they aren't sober. The behaviour is different. It's just that we AS perceive that because we aren't as anxious or feel as stilted that we must seem more normal. It's not necessarily so.

Just my two cents.

As to whether it's okay to use? Each person is different. But both can be addictive. Just a word of caution.

sounds kinda like me on ecstasy, but i quit it, too expensive but a really fun drug.

i AGREE, WHICH IS WHY WE SHOULD BAN ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO!

(though weed isn't physically addictive)

Last edited by IpsoRandomo on 17 Sep 2008, 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've sometimes noticed that I tend to lose my tendencies when I'm [sorry, don't know the word... the opposite of depressed?]. I'm not sure if there's a natural substance involved in it, but anyway, it's positively the only one I'm willing to take.

While it is a primary chemical, it is not the sole cause of the "high" that users experience. The medical community is seeking to find medications that emulate this very function that marijuana does naturally.



All substances and behaviors can be addicting - period. There are some who have a predisposition to addictive behaviors, even to non-addictive substances or behaviors. Would you mind providing the source for your treatment data, as well as the geographical limiters to the area being covered by the survey? Thank you in advance. I have met those who have lost themselves to pot - as well as those who have lost it to religion, to alcohol, to love, to hard drugs. It happens, and while it not the happiest thought to consider, it is a fool who thinks that to forbid is to save, to demonize is to educate.



Your list has an issue; you describe it as short-term effects yet feel comfortable lumping longterm issues in the same header. As was previous addressed, the bronchial issues you refer to are symptomatic only to smoking the plant - NOT to the chemicals itself. In a vaporizer or when cooked, these are non-issues. Some of the other side effects you list are among the very reasons some users continue to get high. Just a thought, but just because YOU do not have a desire or interest in such things, does not make them innately wrong or give license to let fly your judgment.



In terms of risk, alcohol outweighs it by far. I applaud the open mind with which you are starting to approach this, I cannot agree with your outright negativity. Simple fact - there are risks with everything. Biggest solution is to just get over it, learn, and accept the risks you feel comfortable making... and get keep one's nose out of another's choice.


M.

Let me guess.....you are a weed smoker.

Relevance to the discussion?


M.