Solving autism via illegal drugs

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i'm very against drugs, so this is a bit shocking for me to post. but i'm interested in your thoughts.

but here's 3 autism traits, and 3 illegal drugs which affect them. it seems like 1 single dose is all that is required.

1. empathy (the common problem on the spectrum)
drug: ecstacy
a lot of people report having lives permanently changed with dramatically increased empathy. mirror nueron researchers such as V.S. Ramachandran suggest this could be a solution for the autism spectrum
http://bigthink.com/ideas/31828
people's experiences: http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/3583 ... ife-MERGED


2. imagination. lack of imagination is fairly common on the spectrum
drug: mushrooms
http://www.labspaces.net/113830/Single_ ... ity_change

3. synesthesia (many on the spectrum report this)
drug: LSD
http://www.disinfo.com/2011/10/1950s-ho ... tries-lsd/
steve jobs and LSD: http://www.thefix.com/news#justin1325

i'm amazingly sure none of those work and especialy psychedelics might make things worse pm me if you want an explanation.

MDMA maybe, but hallucinogens are a VERY bad idea for people on the spectrum. The experiences can be terrifying. A bad trip would destroy some aspie people.

Psychedelics are interesting but they don't cure, or even ameliorate, autism.

I don't have any experience with MDMA but it doesn't interest me.

As someone who HAS self medicated (with ecstasy being the exception, only because it wasn't around at the time), with these and several other street drugs, I can tell you for a fact that every one of them only made my symptoms worse.

I didn't really begin to learn to adapt well until I stopped using all of them.

I will say that I totally understand why others with Autism who do use them, say that they help. I thought they were helping me too. It wasn't until I stopped using them that I fully realized the detrimental effects they were having while I was using them.

All the drugs really did was masque the underlying problems. If you can't see them or feel the problems, it's easy to think they aren't affecting you. That's what the drugs did, and all they did. They buried the problems that were still there, creating a "mind fog" through which I could not see the problems, and so believed they were not there.

Once I quit, and detoxed for several months, it was clear that every problem I had before I started doing drugs, was still there, and in some cases, even worse because I hadn't been learning to truly deal with them.

Painting the windshield on your car so you can't see the traffic doesn't make the traffic go away. It's still there, and not just as much of a problem as before, but a worse problem than before, because you have no way to avoid it.

What really woke me up is a different analogy, that I actually experienced in real life. Twenty years ago, I moved out of my home town. I thought that by moving away from all my drunken drug addicted friends, I would be leaving all my problems behind. I learned a truth I had once only heard, but didn't really appreciate until a few years into living in a new town, where nobody knew me. This "truth" was one of Jack Handy's "Deep Thoughts." (Anyone remember him from the old SNL's?)

"Wherever you go, there you are."

I thought it was just funny at the time, but once I moved away, after a couple of years, I understood it. No matter where you go, and what you leave behind, you are still stuck with YOU, and all the problems that come from just being "You."

Quitting drugs was a lot like that. Once I quit, I was left with me. The real me, not the fog-enveloped persona created by drug induced fogs.

Self-medicating is NOT the answer.

I do have personal experience of having used ecstasy in the past. I enjoyed the experience (apart from the comedowns) and don't have any major regrets, although I have not used it for many years and have no intention of doing so again. It did make me much more confident and outgoing when I took it, but I am not convinced it made me perform better socially - I think possibly it just made me care less what people thought of me. It certainly has not permanently improved my empathic abilities as I am still told that I have problems in this area.

What about marijuana? It's not a cure, but it does make you feel better for a little while.

the basic idea is to use the drug just once, it triggers something in your brain, ie it possibly activates your mirror neurons.

i'm not for a second suggesting active drug use.

Great post MrXxx!

But I think that the higher esteem you have of yourself due to the "mind-fog" might affect you positively. Most people judge you by the immage you put on, so showing an artificial self-esteem will help in your relations to others.

I've been using weak opiates for about five years now and I noticed that I am more outgoing because of them.

I know that psychedelics like LSD and mushrooms can help people with all sorts of issues, especially when used in a guided setting. If the idea sounds somehow insane, then perhaps the numerous studies over the past 50 years showing positive, long-lasting results will convince you.

Psychedelics have never put me into a state I would call anything like a 'fog', although other drugs like marijuana, opiates, alcohol, and others definitely have.

Whilst I'd agree that LSD certainly had a profound and permanent effect on me, and I regret nothing I've done, but it has had zero impact on any of the issues which cause me difficulties in life. LSD can have very unpredictable results which will vary from person to person. Many will have a very negative experience. It cannot be recommended in any way as a "treatment" for autism, and to suggest it is not helpful.

The other two mentioned I have no direct personal experience of, though for similar reasons I would have thought are best avoided.

I will throw my experience into the virtual ring here as well... used to self-medicate for years and it was great while it worked, but it caused all sorts of problems when I pursued the feeling at the expense of dealing with the issues at hand, or instead of paying bills, etc. Never tried X because it was just coming onto the scene when I quit all that stuff, but I experimented with most everything else at some point... Mr.Xxx is right... "Wherever you go, there you are".