Addiction
I have written before about the barriers to accessing substance use services when you are both autistic, and an addict; today I'm going to approach from a different angle. In this post, I will be talking about a few things that such services can do to increase accessibility,
Autism
Today (7th April 2021) I have been sober from drug and alcohol addiction for five years. In that time I have faced many challenges and learnt many lessons. In this piece, I hope to share some of those lessons with you. 1. Not everything will be perfect once you get
Autistic Rights
It's April, so you know it's about to get real bloody frustrating trying to be heard over the like of Autism Speaks and other problematic groups claiming to represent "people with autism". When it comes to the notorious Autism Speaks there is one thing
Autism
The world of dating is complicated and nuanced. There are unwritten social rules everywhere, and often, unrealistic expectations. I am lucky now to be in a relationship with a fellow ace whom I love dearly, and accepts me as I am, but prior to this, I took 8 years off
Autism
If Sia's film did any good for the autistic community, it opened up a wider conversation about how autistic people are represented and portrayed in popular media. There are very few, if any, perfect representations. One could argue that this is an impossibility anyway, given the diverse nature
Autism
Another lesser discussed addiction for autistic people is gaming. Video games offer an escape from the real world, with minimal health consequences compared to other addictive escapes such as substance use. Gaming addiction can be an easy trap to fall into when you are looking for an escape from the
Mental Health Treatment Rights
Something I haven't spoken about in great detail is the experiences I have had in an inpatient psychiatric facility. There was good and bad in the experience, but unfortunately, it was overall, quite traumatic. I have been an inpatient twice in my life, the first was because I
Autism
When I was using alcohol and drugs, a lot of them were illicit substances or novel psychoactives. But there was a group of drugs that made up the bulk of my drug use, and that was prescription medication. Specifically I was addicted to opiates, benzodiazepines, and a lesser known drug
Autism
As Autistics, we often feel ostracised from the communities we live amongst, but over the past year I have seen autistic people step up and help many people. None of us could have foreseen the pandemic, no doubt that this particular natural disaster will be remembered in history books in
Autism
The best known models for addiction currently are disease models, and yet currently we live in a world where addiction is seen as a moral failing. Cultures all around the world treat addicts with hatred and disdain. Even our own governments have been known to paint us as drains on
Autism
There is a common theme amongst many addiction recovery communities. It's the concept that addiction is inherently selfish and inwardly focused in nature. While I can't talk for everyone, I can say that in my own personal experience I was particularly selfish during active addiction. Everything
Autism
Spend even a little while in the autistic community, and you will begin to notice that cannabis is a very popular drug for this particular demographic. Ranging from recreational, infrequent use, all the way to daily (what would be clinically described as "habitual") use. Cannabis is probably one