Substance Aversion ?

[CatKid]

Hi!!

Sorry, this is my first thread on here....

When searching, I've seen a lot about people on the spectrum being alcohol-addicts (and presumably drugs and all), but I am literally very averse to all of those......
For so many reasons too... I often hate the taste (even evaporated), and I'm scared of the physical/social effects it has. Also I just really don't see the need for me to do it.
I guess I'm only young, having only recently reached adulthood, and aspies take time to get into things, but it legit makes no sense!! Could it be a personal aspie thing, or is it upbringing?

Also, my brother's wife (sister-in-law? lol I forgot) has been kiiinda jokingly telling me that she's going to the pub w/ me to get me drunk one day

So, you don't have to contribute (it's a very personal topic, don't worry!!)
but what have your experiences been like? Is anyone like me here?
Thanks!

 

[Mia]

Have never liked alcohol, its taste or aftertaste or its effect. I'm what you might describe as alcohol averse too. My parents drank moderately on special occasions. Never liked the bitterness of beer or acidic wine or the taste of liqueurs, it felt as if I had some sort of burning liquid on my tongue and flowing down my throat.

And for a while I did experiment with it to see what happened, it either made me shudder internally, become sick or burn my throat. It's weird, as all my siblings are heavy drinkers. So genetically I should have inherited the same taste for alcohol that they have, but I didn't.

BTW Welcome to Aspie Central - CatKid

 

[Nerdpride20950]

I don't drink at all now because of the meds I'm on. I'm like both of you guys though, never much cared for the taste (or maybe after-taste is more correct) of alcohol. That's probably a good thing because I guess alcoholism runs in my family.

 

[korbin]

I actually like the taste of beer and some liquors. The effects of a couple drink manage to make me more relax and social, but any more and I loose control which I don't like. So I'll have a beer when out with friends or when I want to relax after work, but liquor I try to avoid as it goes down quicker.

 

[toothless]

my mum is an alcoholic,she has been since i was 5 yrs old as she had no support my aspie dad was vacant to her and to me,i became dependant on alcohol a while ago-not alcoholic as i can stop it and not suffer any ill effect, but i drink to get rid of the flashbacks i get from my life;including all the suffering i went through from my mums violent drinking,i know i have PTSD but it isnt diagnosed.i also drink because of the brutal anxiety i suffer from.

i went to a company called phoenix futures to get support with my mums drinking but i ended up being referred to another guy there to get support with my own.

yesterday i tried port for the first time as marks and spencer were giving out free samples of their special reserve port and it was £8 a bottle instead of the usual 18,so i loved it and bought a bottle as it was sweet and didnt have to be mixed with coke or redbull like i do with jagermeister or whiskey.
i think port is going to end up being my favourite but being irish and proud jamesons whiskey is my current favourite,i mix that with coke/pepsi usually.

 

[Rocco]

I don't like to drink. Once or twice a year, maybe. It can lighten social situations, but drunk people are very annoying to me.
Smoking is another story, I am a supporter of marijuana and it's cornucopia of benefits.

 

[joellelynn]

I drink alcohol before difficoult situations or to calm down (also in overloads it helps me to relax and to not melt down but escape). Not a good Solution but a Solution.

 

[Kirsty]

I don't like to drink. Once or twice a year, maybe. It can lighten social situations, but drunk people are very annoying to me.

True. Glad to see you back. Hope you're well and Merry Christmas.

 

[Kirsty]

my mum is an alcoholic

So is mine.

 

[toothless]

So is mine.

does it affect you kirsty? have you ever tried professional help to 'get over it'?
i wish it was easier for you,its difficult for us especially at this time of the year when alcohol is made cheaper because of christmas and our parents can access it easier.

do you have anger for your mum or closer to sympathy for her? i have deep sympathy for my mum,as i know its an illness and it started because of her depression,my sister [an aspie] however feels strong anger towards her and my mum will not say anything personal to her,im the only one in the family she will discuss her drinking and depression to.

 

[OkRad]

This is very interesting to me. I have such severe sensory issues that I cannot even take prescribed meds. When I smoked pot once (only because I reacted to Prozac so bad that I was desperate), I went totally paranoid and thought the tinfoil from the homemade bong was stuck in my brain and how was I going to tell the Dr? It was terrible. It peaked every ten seconds, like severe panic. Then it would pass for ten seconds. Then it would come back for ten seconds! HORRIFIC panic.

I did try drinking. I guess it was OK but I did it to block out my troubles so it was like Wild Turkey 101. I saw no point in drinking it except to get drunk.

Then it made me sick of course and black out.

So now I can't take anything. Even one xanax worked opposite and sent me into panic attacks. I woke up screaming during a medical procedure once. An herb put me into anaphylaxis AND so did BENEDRYL which is supposed to stop it!!

I have an epi pen but afraid to use it. Never needed it but terrified if I ever did.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

I dislike beer and lager, I can drink cider all right. I do like spirits though apart from vodka. I've got a bottle of Jack Daniel's Honey Whiskey, it's really nice. It has a nice smooth taste to it, not like normal whiskey which is very 'smoky' a can make me cough afterwards. The honey one only occasionally does that to me.

I don't drink very often, I don't go to the pubs, I don't get invited to that sort of stuff most of the time. I only got the two bottles I have now as a treat for when I feel like crap - which I understand is an oxymoron since it temporarily stops the effect of my medication, so I'm not really supposed to have it, but sod it.

Being tipsy/drunk has a positive and negative effect for me. I like being 'looser' than I normally be, I can relax. However, I don't like the feeling or not being in full control; I like to have my faculties. So being tipsy has it's place but it's not something I'd do unless it was a social occasion.

 

[ksheehan88]

If I didn't have children to take care of I'd drink myself stupid everyday.

 

[brendak]

I won't drink at all. First, I hate the taste. Second, scared to mix with meds.

 

[cory]

I drink fairly regularly but almost always in moderation. Just a few pints. I like a light buzz but hate being drunk. I have a few social gatherings I go to yearly where I drink to excess. That's it.

 

[Kirsty]

does it affect you kirsty? have you ever tried professional help to 'get over it'?
i wish it was easier for you,its difficult for us especially at this time of the year when alcohol is made cheaper because of christmas and our parents can access it easier.

do you have anger for your mum or closer to sympathy for her? i have deep sympathy for my mum,as i know its an illness and it started because of her depression,my sister [an aspie] however feels strong anger towards her and my mum will not say anything personal to her,im the only one in the family she will discuss her drinking and depression to.

Yes, it effected me and no, I've not had professional help and couldn't open up to anyone about it.

Closer to sympathy for her as I know it's an illness. It started after her depression too. Her illness made me ill with depression in the past. I'm okay now because I've moved away from it all and I've blocked her number until I get a new one.

 

[Nitro]

I no longer drink but a couple of times a year. I set the stuff down per request of my neurosurgeon. He said it would probably be a good idea if I stopped. I took his words to heart. Last year,I worked on an airline bottle of Crown Royal (1.5 fl oz),of my all time favorite of the top shelf stuff. With any luck,at the present rate of consumption,it should last another year

I joke about my old Pittsburgh favorite Iron City Beer having to change their original hometown brewery to an outsider one after they neglected to pay a 1.5 million dollar water bill and got THEIR tap shut off.
I was kind of pissed because I know I paid it in full one bottle at a time

Oh well,after they switched houses and the flavor went to crap,I switched to Yeungling and started to support the oldest brewery in the USA that is still located inside my commonwealth

I am a regular user of medical grade smoke as a medication that helps my recovery from a TBI,but feel it is necessary to include that like any treatment,results will vary from one individual to the next

 

[clg114]

When I was in my early twenties, I drank to much. It was my way of being sociable. When I drank, the social problems went away and I was very talkative. I actually had friends. My wife and I partied away many Friday or Saturday nights.

Of course, you can not live this for very long. I got real lucky. When I was 26, my wife got pregnant. She had to stop drinking, so I did to. After that, the kids just kept coming. Any drinking we did was rare. There is nothing like family to keep you on the straight and narrow.

These days we do not drink at all, to old for that.

The point of this post,is that what happened to me, is a very easy trap for a Aspie to fall into. You are young, want have friends and do not have good social skills. Drinking changes all of that, but it is not the way to go. It is dangerous on many different levels and can ruin your life. When I think about my youth now, it scares me. Not everyone is as lucky as I was.

 

[Streetwise]

This is very interesting to me. I have such severe sensory issues that I cannot even take prescribed meds. When I smoked pot once (only because I reacted to Prozac so bad that I was desperate), I went totally paranoid and thought the tinfoil from the homemade bong was stuck in my brain and how was I going to tell the Dr? It was terrible. It peaked every ten seconds, like severe panic. Then it would pass for ten seconds. Then it would come back for ten seconds! HORRIFIC panic.

I did try drinking. I guess it was OK but I did it to block out my troubles so it was like Wild Turkey 101. I saw no point in drinking it except to get drunk.

Then it made me sick of course and black out.

So now I can't take anything. Even one xanax worked opposite and sent me into panic attacks. I woke up screaming during a medical procedure once. An herb put me into anaphylaxis AND so did BENEDRYL which is supposed to stop it!!

I have an epi pen but afraid to use it. Never needed it but terrified if I ever did.

Hello I'm streetwise do you have a faith as prayer can do what drugs can do
I'm also fearful of panic attacks my gp never said only really take an ssri for a few months so 12 years on im still taking it
I get the problem with ineffective prescribed meds when my stress is really bad
It's infuriating sadly now analgesics do nothing for me still keep buying them as brainwashed by advertising
Stopping

 

[xudo]

I used to drink when I was in my late teens/early twenties, only at things I'd gone to with friends. I don't mind the taste of certain alcoholic beverages, but the after effects just weren't worth it for me, and I can have fun without alcohol. I've been teetotal now for about 5/6 years.

I smoke tobacco and have since I was 16 (I'm 30) and I occasionally smoke pot, but not for the buzz. I have arthritis in my right hand which is made worse by sewing (I make geeky hats) so if I've had to make a whole load of hats it's agony and I'd prefer pot to tramadol, which I was on for most of my twenties for my crappy spine.