Autism and Alcohol

by maximusaurus

“Alcoholic” is such a negative term. I prefer to think of myself as an Ethanol Enthusiast.

Yes, like millions of Australians and billions of people around the globe, I partake in and enjoy the effects of fermented plants.

When I started drinking at the age of 18, I quickly discovered something rather remarkable.

You see, as an autistic with OCD, my brain can be an awfully noisy place. Anxieties, sensory stimuli, manual processing of social code and the like can fill my head like a swarm of cicadas.

Once I’d had several drinks though, it was like the volume dial on all that was turned down. The near constant stressors that grated on my mind day in and day out felt muffled, muted, defanged. Suddenly, social interactions seemed to come more easily, loud noise and crowds didn’t bother me so much, and anxiety faded into the background.

Needless to say, I was a big fan of this newfound relief. Throughout my early twenties, I essentially self-medicated with alcohol as a way of managing my social anxiety.

You can probably see where this is heading. I drank too much, often to the point of getting sick, blacking out, and even ending up in some bad situations due to impaired judgement.

My situation was far from unusual; I now know many autistics who also turned to excess drinking as a way to cope. The stress that arises from the disconnect between our neurology and the society we have to live in can make us uniquely susceptible to seeking out the anaesthetizing effects of alcohol.

Eventually, I got myself back on track, and while I do still have a drink now and then, I now do so in moderation, (for the most part) with an awareness of the temptation to excess I am prone to.

As is so often the case in substance abuse, my binge drinking was a symptom of a deeper issue. I needed to learn safer ways of managing my social anxiety, such as planning and limiting my time in stressful situations and environments ahead of time, and getting a better feel for when I was approaching my limit so I could get out before hitting my breaking point.

Now, all of this is not at all to say that autistics shouldn’t drink. If you enjoy having a drink or three sometimes, groovy, more power to you. I like to sink a few cans myself sometimes after a long day.

I just think it’s important to be mindful of the risks of self-medication, and that our status as autistic can make us vulnerable to it.