Hello. I have name changed because the details here make me so very identifiable. I need support and advice - please.
I have a brother who is 36 - 3 and a half years older than me and who is, I am fairly sure, Aspergers. It's extremely hard to tell whether some of his issues are because of this or because of our parents. It pains me to say it, but in a lot of ways they weren't particularly 'good' parents, although they certainly meant well and loved us. However, they had a number of peculiar approaches and ideas about things and this led to us being isolated and shunned a bit as children.
As a young adult, my brother had a fairly close-knit group of friends who's main - indeed only - aim in life seemed to be taking drugs. This