Aspies For Freedom

Tell me about it.

I've ruined myself for life from drug and alcohol addiction, I will never be quite the same person I was before I got into the "strong stuff."  My cognitive functions are permanently damaged and underactive.

Take heed before it happens to you and realize that this is where self-loathing takes you.

That wasn't really the reason I got into drugs, although it played a small part in it, I guess.

Re: the bold print, I think that describes some Aspies fairly well, too.  Aspies feel misunderstood and left out, and some can become "cocky" and a bit narcissistic as a result of social/family dysfunction (well, I know that's how it happened for me.)

Anyhow, you describe the pattern perfectly.  I wouldn't and still haven't accepted the idea of rehab or AA, or even reading the AA stuff and following it on my own--I don't know if it's sheer laziness, unwillingness to change, or what have you.

I guess I must be the only one here who developed a rather dangerous addiction, to a rather dangerous substance.

That kinda makes me feel like a fool.

What does it matter?

A physically harmful drug is a physically harmful drug, to which addiction should be avoided at all costs; but I didn't bother to pay attention to reason, because I thought I could get away with it.  I couldn't and as a result my health is damaged at the age of 26--it definitely "came back to bite me."

Now how do you "magically undo" physical harm?  You can't.

I've tried to discuss drugs and addiction with the guys I've met with to either purchase drugs or sit and smoke. They seem very reluctant to discuss such things, but it's something I Need to do.  I'm constantly (well, not every day) thinking about drugs and its effect on me. It is smuggled here by ? in large quantities and portioned out to be sold. It's mostly addicts that sell on commission and carvs off some for themselves. Who is at the top? Who benefits from my addiction?

Estimations by police says there are at any given time 25 tons of pot in Sweden. They've been identifying the gangs that do the smuggling and found over 100 such gangs. The bigger shipments seem to be courtsey of the Motorcycle Crime Organizations.

That bothers me Big Time. It's really an incentive to say No! Because it's so much bigger than just the itsy bitsy transaction that take place between "the one who have and the one who want"; those two people are at the base of a pyramide, doing the work that holds up the pyramide and sustains its existence.

tbc

Personal boundaries? What drugs he used is really no one's business, and neither are his reasons not to discuss it.

You know I'm a huge fan of the Beach Boys and I read books about their history.  Honestly after reading that stuff you will probably never touch drugs.  Basically drugs and alcohol abuse ruined Dennis Wilson's life and ultimately killed him.  Carl Wilson died of throat cancer, probably due to smoking.  Brian Wilson's voiced box was ruined and he was obscenely obese for years.  He also probably wasted his best years and best work because of drugs.

I have tried weed before, but I'd never take it again.  I don't drink or smoke either.  I like to try and be as healthy as possible (although I do eat the occassional burger, and some junk food).  But it's really awful what drug addiction can do to you.

It's really bad what it does, and what's worse, the medical community (GPs and the like) have absolutely NO sympathy for you whatsoever, who knows how many times a former addict suffering from health problems has to see a GP and can't broach the topic because doctors think addiction is "your own decision."  Once an addict, it no longer is your decision--but GPs don't think that way.

WfM, are you/were you a smoker?

OK, mom, so we first have to fight your depression and after that we're going to talk about the smoking.
I stopped smoking four years ago, after beeing a very heavy smoker for 20 years.
And I couldn't say, that I didn't know what I'm doing.
During my civilian service in Germany (instead of going to the army) 20 years ago, I saw a lot of oncological "cases"(don't like theword)
most of them caused by smoking.
But somehow, that didn't work.

Everyone tells me my caffeine addiction and the voluntary insomnia (staying awake at night, buzzed on caffeine--well I prefer to work at night, mmmmkay?) is so bad for me, the cause of all my health problems, etc, therefore I am thankful to see I'm not the only one here who has an ill-advised habit or two.

I do wonder if the combination of uneven sleeping habits (my sleep schedule/hours slept, changes almost daily) and caffeine addiction is the cause of my worsening health problems.

I am a night owl, but lately I just don't sleep much at all ( stress and sadness, I guess!)
Just wondering if there is a correlation between thyroid conditions and staying up all night ( ie working night shifts) My sister is a nurse-with Graves disease, ( it seems that quite a lot of nurses are on thyroid medication) and my brother worked night shift for 3 years and he is now on Thyroid meds..
just a thought, really. A rather tired one at that ( stayed up too late)

I am an owl. Thats one of the many, many reasons I hate school. Have to get up at 7:00 to get ready. Not helpful when I only get to sleep at 1:00! My parents tell me to go to bed earlier, but I go to bed at 11:00 and sit there really bored for 2 hours

If there's a correlation between the two, I am in a lot of trouble... especially for the last year or so, being unemployed and in a depressive state, I stay awake through the entire early morning.  My mother has Graves disease and the health problems I am having now, fit both the description for hyper and hypothyroid... I am inclined to say hyperthyroid though, because of the terrible eye problems I have been having lately..

If I get the hyperthyroid diagnosis, I would be quite worried...  I read somewhere that thyroid meds only work for 20-30% of folks with hyperthyroid problems.  Not to mention the huge STACK of side effects I read for Tapazole (Methimazole) and others...

What to do?