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Asperger's and Alcoholism
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- Published 08/19/2008
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Book: Asperger Syndrome and Alcohol: Drinking to Cope
by Matthew Tinsley, Sarah Hendrickx
Description
Asperger Syndrome and Alcohol exposes the unexplored problem of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) using alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with everyday life.
Alcohol can relieve the anxiety of social situations and make those with ASDs feel as though they can fit in. Ultimately, however, reliance on alcohol can lead the user down a path of self-destruction and exacerbate existing problems.
Utilizing their professional and personal experience, the authors provide an overview of ASDs and of alcohol abuse, and explore current knowledge about where the two overlap.
Tinsley explores his own personal history as someone with an ASD who has experienced and beaten alcohol addiction.
He discusses how the impact of his diagnosis and his understanding of the condition played a huge part in his recovery, and how by viewing his life through the prism of autism, his confusion has been replaced by a greater understanding of himself and the world around him.
This inspiring book on an under-researched area will be of interest to professionals working with people with ASDs, as well as individuals with ASDs who may be dealing with alcohol or substance misuse, and their families.
About the Author
Matthew Tinsley has a degree in Modern Languages and spent his entire professional life working in the sphere of specialist bookshops.
After many years struggling with alcoholism and two failed marriages, he overcame his addiction.
Matthew believes this is largely due to his self-awareness of his autistic condition, together with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
He is currently living in Brighton, where he aims to help spread awareness of the problems faced by those with Asperger's Syndrome.
Sarah Hendrickx is Training Manager of an adult AS support project and a freelance consultant in AS in the UK. She is author of Love, Sex and Long-Term Relationships and together, she and her partner Keith, who is self-diagnosed with AS, are authors of Asperger Syndrome - A Love Story. Both books are published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Table of contents
Foreword by Temple Grandin. Introduction. 1. Asperger Syndrome and Alcohol - Why Should There Be a Link? 2. Childhood and Adolescence - Where Does it Start? 3. The Adult Social World - Friendships, Relationships and Other People. 4. Employment - Drinking and the Workplace. 5.Beginning of the End - A Failing Strategy. 6. Drying Out - Support and Rehabilitation. 7. Life Beyond the Booze - Recovering Autistic Alcoholic. Conclusion. References. Resources. Appendix - Thoughts from Friends and Family.
~~~~~~~~~
From Review by: Dick Cady, ForeWord Magazine
Autism is one of the great medical mysteries of our day: Is it caused by genetics, environment, vaccines, or a combination of things? Science as yet can’t say, and thus it is also one of the great human tragedies. Millions of people enter the world lacking the tools to cope, with little hope of any immediate cure.
Yet not all of those diagnosed with autism have the severe learning disabilities, physical limitations, or inability to understand social interaction. In recent years much has been learned about the milder Asperger Syndrome, which is characterized by difficulty communicating and interacting with the external world.
To a growing body of literature on AS, add Asperger Syndrome and Alcohol: Drinking To Cope, by Matthew Tinsley and Sarah Hendrickx. The book attempts to break new ground on the relationship between alcoholism and persons who have or probably have AS, but haven’t necessarily been diagnosed.
Tinsley is not just the co-author; he’s a living, breathing laboratory specimen. That he survived until age forty-three before discovering he had the classic AS symptoms is something of a medical mystery in itself. Toward the end, he was consuming up to three large bottles of gin a day. He should have been comatose, or dead.
But he lived to tell his tale, and it’s a compelling story, even for others coping merely with alcoholism. Hendrickx provides the clinical overview. She’s the training manager on an AS support project in England and the co-author of two earlier AS-related books.
This book intersperses Tinsley’s story with commentary by Hendrickx, supplemented by relevant quotes from other, anonymous persons with AS and drinking problems. There’s no attempt, or need, to dramatize. Information is compiled and presented without sweeping pronouncements. It is clear, though, that an alcoholic person with AS stands a better chance of rehabilitation once the AS is diagnosed.
And what is the relationship between the one and the other? To her credit, Hendrickx makes no bold claims. “The possibility that someone can be both alcoholic and autistic needs to be recognized in both autism and substance misuse services, and a greater understanding of both fields established,” she writes.
As for Tinsley, his is a message of hope. “It is never too late to change your life if you are unhappy with your addiction and wish to gain self-knowledge,” he says. “From being lost in the depths of addiction and depression, I am now living a life I couldn’t have imagined.”
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PsychForum on asperger's and alcoholism.
Related article: Timothy Kowalski, MA on Asperger's Disorder.
by Matthew Tinsley, Sarah Hendrickx
Description
Asperger Syndrome and Alcohol exposes the unexplored problem of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) using alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with everyday life.
Alcohol can relieve the anxiety of social situations and make those with ASDs feel as though they can fit in. Ultimately, however, reliance on alcohol can lead the user down a path of self-destruction and exacerbate existing problems.
Utilizing their professional and personal experience, the authors provide an overview of ASDs and of alcohol abuse, and explore current knowledge about where the two overlap.
Tinsley explores his own personal history as someone with an ASD who has experienced and beaten alcohol addiction.
He discusses how the impact of his diagnosis and his understanding of the condition played a huge part in his recovery, and how by viewing his life through the prism of autism, his confusion has been replaced by a greater understanding of himself and the world around him.
This inspiring book on an under-researched area will be of interest to professionals working with people with ASDs, as well as individuals with ASDs who may be dealing with alcohol or substance misuse, and their families.About the Author
Matthew Tinsley has a degree in Modern Languages and spent his entire professional life working in the sphere of specialist bookshops.
After many years struggling with alcoholism and two failed marriages, he overcame his addiction.
Matthew believes this is largely due to his self-awareness of his autistic condition, together with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
He is currently living in Brighton, where he aims to help spread awareness of the problems faced by those with Asperger's Syndrome.
Sarah Hendrickx is Training Manager of an adult AS support project and a freelance consultant in AS in the UK. She is author of Love, Sex and Long-Term Relationships and together, she and her partner Keith, who is self-diagnosed with AS, are authors of Asperger Syndrome - A Love Story. Both books are published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Table of contents
Foreword by Temple Grandin. Introduction. 1. Asperger Syndrome and Alcohol - Why Should There Be a Link? 2. Childhood and Adolescence - Where Does it Start? 3. The Adult Social World - Friendships, Relationships and Other People. 4. Employment - Drinking and the Workplace. 5.Beginning of the End - A Failing Strategy. 6. Drying Out - Support and Rehabilitation. 7. Life Beyond the Booze - Recovering Autistic Alcoholic. Conclusion. References. Resources. Appendix - Thoughts from Friends and Family.
~~~~~~~~~
From Review by: Dick Cady, ForeWord Magazine
Autism is one of the great medical mysteries of our day: Is it caused by genetics, environment, vaccines, or a combination of things? Science as yet can’t say, and thus it is also one of the great human tragedies. Millions of people enter the world lacking the tools to cope, with little hope of any immediate cure.
Yet not all of those diagnosed with autism have the severe learning disabilities, physical limitations, or inability to understand social interaction. In recent years much has been learned about the milder Asperger Syndrome, which is characterized by difficulty communicating and interacting with the external world.
To a growing body of literature on AS, add Asperger Syndrome and Alcohol: Drinking To Cope, by Matthew Tinsley and Sarah Hendrickx. The book attempts to break new ground on the relationship between alcoholism and persons who have or probably have AS, but haven’t necessarily been diagnosed.
Tinsley is not just the co-author; he’s a living, breathing laboratory specimen. That he survived until age forty-three before discovering he had the classic AS symptoms is something of a medical mystery in itself. Toward the end, he was consuming up to three large bottles of gin a day. He should have been comatose, or dead.
But he lived to tell his tale, and it’s a compelling story, even for others coping merely with alcoholism. Hendrickx provides the clinical overview. She’s the training manager on an AS support project in England and the co-author of two earlier AS-related books.
This book intersperses Tinsley’s story with commentary by Hendrickx, supplemented by relevant quotes from other, anonymous persons with AS and drinking problems. There’s no attempt, or need, to dramatize. Information is compiled and presented without sweeping pronouncements. It is clear, though, that an alcoholic person with AS stands a better chance of rehabilitation once the AS is diagnosed.
And what is the relationship between the one and the other? To her credit, Hendrickx makes no bold claims. “The possibility that someone can be both alcoholic and autistic needs to be recognized in both autism and substance misuse services, and a greater understanding of both fields established,” she writes.
As for Tinsley, his is a message of hope. “It is never too late to change your life if you are unhappy with your addiction and wish to gain self-knowledge,” he says. “From being lost in the depths of addiction and depression, I am now living a life I couldn’t have imagined.”
=======
PsychForum on asperger's and alcoholism.
Related article: Timothy Kowalski, MA on Asperger's Disorder.
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3 Responses to "Asperger's and Alcoholism" 
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said this on 30 Aug 2008 11:00:32 AM EST
Needed relevant info that makes sense. I can understand an AS person wanting to fit in and alcohol helps make that happen for them temporarily but can take over their life. Awareness is important.
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said this on 14 Sep 2008 2:38:29 PM EST
I sincerely believe Aspergers would difine me. As Elton John said in "Someone Saved My
Life Tonight", Just one more beer and I don't hear you anymore!....such is my life. I drink to dull sensations. It appears as if I am not listening and don't care, but in reality it is just opposite. I have all my own intense feelings I can not deal with and then someone introduces their own and I feel overwhelmed because I can feel it as if it were happening to me- sometimes 10 fold...so I tell them to be quiet or get distracted because it is toooooooooo much. Then they think I am cold and unfeeling...not so, but to be fair, my response is not helpful and they still feel alone. That makes me feel even worse so I retreat ever deeper, only to solidify their case that I was not there for them when in reality, my heart breaks for them in chaotic silence. Many of the things I do socially to make people happy, are not because I want to, but I have observed in others that certain responses make people happy and feel validated. They tell me what a considerate and loving friend I am, which makes ,e happy to know I did it right, but I never really sincerely feel what they say I have done. To do so would feel like the tender stinging skin under a popped blister, So I gravitate between non-communicative to theraputic listener, feeling like a phony either way. I believe there are many undiagnosed autistics that become alcoholics just to escape the raw stinging pain of reality. I will start the count with me.
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said this on 17 Nov 2008 5:33:39 PM EST
To Dee, about the Sept 14 comment. I have a 20 year old son, who was diagnosed Aspergers at the end of 4th grade. By the time he was in 5th grade, he wanted to end his life. My husband could not and would not accept it. The more I tried to talk to him about our son, the less he listened. There was name calling, physical violence, avoidance, yelling, and I felt I just wanted to leave. At 16, our son began drinking in earnest. By the time he was to graduate high school, he was suicidal, violent, and a marijuana user as well. He had everyone fooled. He is a well spoken liar, and cannot control his anger. He celebrated his graduation day in a psych lock-up at a local hospital. He then went to an out of state facility to begin recovery. He should have stayed longer, but the insurance ran out. Although he is in college now, he is drinking again, and smoking again in a terrible circle. He goes to AA meetings and is under counseling, but it appears nothing can help him. I personally grew up in a violent, alcoholic family. When my son assaulted me, while in blackout, I had him arrested. I don't want to be around him anymore. I have worked with his counselors all through his growing years.When I read what you said about doing nice things for people, I was looking at myself. I have to force myself to socialize, and it has been that way all my life. I only know how to act around others by reading about it. Otherwise, I don't really care about anyone. I just find other people interesting to watch, but not too closely. I used to drink around others when I was in college, but it was apparent all too quickly, that I could not physically tolerate it, and no one could tolerate me. I just can't listen to other peoples problems, because I absorb the problems, and get mired down with things that should not concern me. I feel so sad about my son, but I sincerely wish he would just stay away from me. I am beginning to self medicate also. It is a nether world. I just don't feel like I belong anywhere, I am afraid of people in general. Sad.
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