The cult of busyness undermines attempts at creating a shared understanding at a very basic level. In a hyper-competitive world the unexpected non-compliant Autistic behaviour is often misunderstood.
Ellie Rebarbar looks at the link between autism and addiction and how addiction resources fail autistic people.
I completely replaced who I was. My entire life was about drugs and alcohol. It was literally all I spoke about. All I thought about. All of my hopes and dreams washed away and were replaced by what I thought was a “lifestyle choice.”
Autistic people smoke at higher rates than the rest of the population, and the reasons may be more nuanced than what is expected.
David Gray-Hammond dispels the myth that autistic people are just adult children incapable of doing self-destructive, violent, or criminal behavior and asks society to consider their role in the circumstances that lead up to a vulnerable and traumatized adulthood.
People see addicts in recovery as “a different sort of addict” to those who have not found recovery. This is invalidating and untrue.
Autistic people are more vulnerable to addiction and suicide, and yet this is not discussed. We need to start talking about this now to reduce stigma and provide resources to those in need.
Substance abuse addiction was like an abusive relationship for David Gray-Hammond, and escaping that relationship was a difficult necessity if he wanted to survive.
David Gray-Hammond writes about the words he needed to hear as an active addict and sends a message: “It’s not your fault.”
If you’re finding lockdown and quarantine are contributing to an increase in your use of drugs, alcohol, or other unhealthy coping mechanisms, these steps might help you to find some healthier ways to navigate difficult times.
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