MaxE wrote:
I might add though that there are some people on the spectrum who do like to drink and there are some who have experienced the feeling of being less "autistic" in social situations in which everybody is drinking, even if their behavior in this situation might be seen as asinine by a sober observer, and this might lead such people to drink more than they ought. And autism does not by any means bring immunity to alcoholism. I have seen people on this site who are struggling with alcoholism more than once.
This explains why I don't have much of a social life or many friends while other Aspies I know of that drink do, because they drink. I suppose drinking alcohol relieves social anxiety. I don't lack social skills as such (which is why I often question my diagnosis) but I do have social anxiety and that makes me avoid going out at night to bars and places. I do much better at social events where everybody is sober or are just having a couple of drinks but are eating as well and nobody is getting drunk.
I went to a gender reveal party a few weeks ago, and it was just in the afternoon, but there was no alcohol there and I loved it. I didn't feel pressured into drinking, and it felt like a serene and mature environment and I didn't feel like a wimpy alien.
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Female