Alcohol asd teen behaviour

[whatnextohdear]

Sorry name change
Any ideas what to do. Ds1 who has ASD has discovered alcohol and becomes abusive and violent when drunk. Any ideas who to contact for help before we have an even bigger problem

[BrainyMess]

Its not uncommon for people om the spectrum to use drugs or alcohol to cope.

Unfortunately there is little research or understanding on the subject.

This book
Asperger Syndrome and Alcohol: Drinking to Cope?
is an excellent resource which will definitely be of help.

I have Aspergers and an alcohol problem, I am currently seeing a therapist specialising in CBT, anxiety and alcohol problems.

I use alcohol to turn my overactive brain off and manage my anxiety. Its also routine based, I drink at the same time each day in the day in the evening.

It is a poor coping mechanism and I hope to be able to find better coping strategies with the help of my therapist.

How old is your son, how long has he been drinking and what is his pattern ie when/how much does he drink.

BTW a note about AA and Aspergers
AA made no logical sense to me. For people with ASD CBT may be a better approach.

HTH

:)

[whatnextohdear]

Thanks for the reply. I will take a look at the book. He is 17. From everything I have read CBT seems the way to go but CAMHS seems overloaded and unless anyone understands ASD I think they will struggle.
Thanks again

[BrainyMess]

A word of caution.

I have a friend whose son was diagnosed late with Aspergers around the age of 16. He had suffered years of bullying.
He began drinking around the same age as your son, he also became violent and abusive.
In the end he had to leave the family home after being violent to his mother.

Does your son she his drinking as a problem?
He needs help now I think.

[bedelia]

Is it possible to see your GP and ask for an urgent referral to CAHMS? I appreciate they may be overloaded, but this seems like an issue requiring advice and treatment ASAP.

Another source of help/info could be the charity MIND (www.mind.org.uk/). They helped my ex secure a CBT referral to help with a similar issue, though admittedly it took several months to receive a first appointment.