Addiction - a guide for parents and carers
What is addiction?
The National Health Service describes addiction as “not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point where it could be harmful to you.”
Addiction regularly refers to the overuse of gambling, drugs, alcohol and nicotine but it is important to recognise that it can also include a reliance on work, the internet or technology, and shopping.
People often develop an addiction if they are struggling to cope with everyday life or have a particular difficulty in their lives. For some people, an addiction helps them to live with these challenges but that addiction is likely to cause further problems. For example, it could cause or increase problems with money, with relationships or with executive functions, ie concentration, organising or planning even routine daily tasks, or understanding your own feelings and learning to manage them.
You can find more general information about addiction on the NHS website as well as the Action Addiction website.
Addiction can and does happen to anybody and it takes many forms.
Some research has reported that substance abuse is more common in autistic people than it is in non-autistic people, while other research disagrees. It is also possible that people with a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD are more likely to develop addictions. They’re also more likely to experience an addiction if a close relative or a friend has an addiction.
Autistic people can become reliant on drugs, alcohol and technology because they use these things to help them to cope.
Drugs and alcohol might be used by an autistic person to ease difficulties they might experience in social situations. They may feel more confident in otherwise challenging scenarios.
Autistic people may develop addictions as a coping mechanism to manage their anxiety and stress. Drugs and alcohol can become coping mechanisms.
Autistic people may use substances such as alcohol to:
- reduce anxieties, in particular social anxieties
- reduce sensory differences.
My autistic child has an addiction - what can I do?
It can be alarming to see your child develop an addiction of any kind, as they can often create other co-occurring problems such as debt, bad health or a breakdown in relationships.
You might want to find help for your child and your family.
It may be useful to help your child focus on their time management, organisation and problem-solving skills. This will give them the basic skills and structure necessary to help them to understand their own feelings and learn to manage them. Structure can help reduce stress and anxiety which are thought to be potential triggers for addiction.
Counselling and therapy
There are many types of counselling and therapy including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) which has been shown to be effective for some autistic people. All talking therapies should be adapted to be effective for autistic people. If you would like to access therapy for your child, you can do this through your GP or privately.
Your GP may be able to refer your child to an addiction service and you may want to look for local addiction support groups in your area. The treatment of some types of addiction is group-based and this may be unsuitable. Services may need to adapt their support and make it more autism-friendly and accessible for your child.
Visit our seeking help with mental health page for more information on counselling and therapy.
Useful links and resources
Online resources
Books
- Drinking, drug use and addiction in the autism community, Elizabeth Kunreuther and Ann Palmer
- Asperger syndrome and alcohol: drinking to cope?, Matthew Tinsley and Sarah Hendrickx
