NTs Might Prefer to be a little Autistic

[Gift2humanity]

It's probably one of those things that cant really be described properly. Unless the other has already experienced whatever it is for themselves, it cannot be explained to them. There's no way for it to make sense to me... it will always go over my own head no matter what. Which is probably for the best. Some things, I dont really want to grasp.

That being said, as per the original topic, I cant imagine any NT actually wanting to be autistic, whatever that means. Not if they learned anything about the condition. And that's just me... I'm not on the particularly bad side of it. There are many on the spectrum who have far more trouble than I do, that's for sure...

Yes, describing the psychedelic experience to someone who has never had psychedelics is like describing eyesight to a person who has been blind from birth.

I am not looking down on us who choose not to use cannabis.

I do not think that neuro typical people can envisage what it’s like to be autistic.

Autistic people with creative childhoods, I imagine, see the condition as a blessing.

Autistic people without creative childhoods may in my opinion, see it as an encumbrance.

 

[Gift2humanity]

That theory of yours has to be the most entertaining thing I've seen on this site.

This is a forum for autistic people who are different, by their very nature, and for this reason we should be able to express any theories we like. The theory was not posted to entertain it was put out there for discussion.

 

[Gift2humanity]

With stuff related to the autistic spectrum though, there's an extremely wide variety of opinions and ideas and experiences. A lot of theories out there, related to many different aspects.

Personally I dont really think there are any that are more or less valid than others. The subject is simply too big, subjective, and confusing.

It is deep. I took it to mean that neuro typicals who smoke cannabis for psychedelic reasons, want to get into a state of mind that is more sensitive and perceptive and creative, and this is the state of mind that some autistic people have.

I exclude the daily users who abuse cannabis as the reverse can happen with abuse, it can dull it can create apathy.

 

[Gift2humanity]

I never forget the horrifying account of the man who died from cancer of the jaw after smoking marijuana for 25 years

This can happen with people who smoke tobacco.

 

[Gift2humanity]

A comment for others reading this thread. Cannabis is used in religious practice. However, it is important to note that this use is not recreational, but part of practice, which is supported by a "teacher" and "teachings." It is not simply recreation pot use. Bob Marley famously did not use cannabis recreationally. Note, cannabis is addictive, and oddly enough, those that use it because of their religion show lower rates of addiction.

As far as the link between cannabis and creativity, there simply is no evidence that it will make you more creative: Cannabis and creativity: highly potent cannabis impairs divergent thinking in regular cannabis users While someone might "feel" more creative, just like alcohol can make you "feel" more charming, that is not the same as being creative or charming.

I would be very careful starting to use drugs based on this thread. Like with many drugs, cannabis can present downsides, one of which can be addition. There are also legal consequences.

Back to regular programming...

Used as nature intended fine.

Used for legitimate medical reasons, fine.

Abused on a daily basis, dulls the mind, this is my experience.

 

[Major Tom]

[QUOTE="Gift2humanity, post: 755800, member: 21601"
Autism is a blessing.

The lucky autistic children who engage in creative activities, and who are on the spectrum, whether they know it or not, fair better than their autistic counterparts who do not engage in creative activities in childhood.

This is because their special perception is honed, and they adapt to this left brained thinking unbalanced world, whereas children who do not engage in creative activities and are on the spectrum, in my opinion, are the ones who struggle with communication, with socialising, and with vulnerability.

[/QUOTE]

Having a child with ASD-3 I strongly disagree with this. I love him with all my heart, but how is it a blessing to have to spend half your life in a mental institution because the world even apparently the world of people on the spectrum, has no idea what it's like to be him. Seeing things written like this make me think about how priveliged some people are and I really hope you appreciate that fact. SMH

 

[Gift2humanity]

Not to mention drug interaction. That's a particular danger that I dont think a lot of people think about with stuff like this. I mean, seriously: if someone wants to try this sort of thing (and is in a place where it's legal to do so), DEFINITELY ask your doctor first. Like any pharmaceutical drug, it's a bloody horrid idea to just try something on your own.

Even if you're not on prescriptions of any sort... ask anyway. There could be an element you're not aware of (in terms of your current physical state) that could present a conflict.



Aye, this is another element I keep wanting to point out. Stuff like this really does have this aspect.

I know a couple of people... family members, my mother and stepfather to be precise... who would drink a bunch. They thought they were fine, that it helped them mellow out and mix better with others, and the usual things that people think alcohol will do to them. They were CERTAIN of this.

Thing is, when you're too close to something, it's hard to see that something for what it REALLY is. What it ACTUALLY did to them was make them into embarassing, rambling fools. Uncoordinated, klutzy, shambling, nonsensical... all those things.

Eventually my patience finally snapped, and I ended the problem by outright shrieking at them about it while we were all in the driveway (AKA, specifically so that ALL the neighbors could hear). The issue was brought to a very sudden halt, and they havent done it since. Fortunately, I can be darned persuasive sometimes. And surprise surprise, they're so much better to hang out with. Except for the whole "obsessed with politics" thing. I keep thinking it's time for another "intervention". I wish I was joking about that.

It aint just alcohol or drugs or whatever that all this can happen with. Lots of different issues... if you're too close, it's hard to see the forest for the trees, as they say. And it's the sort of lesson that you hope not to learn the hard way.

Of course, if someone is purely doing whatever in the privacy of their own home... much less of an issue, as there's nobody around to irritate.

The thread was originally started to see members’ opinions on the theory that neurotypicals (albeit unconsciously) in my opinion, seek the heightened sensory experience of herb, that could be seen as parallel to an autistic experience.

 

[Gift2humanity]

A warning to you all:
While cannabis has substances that greatly benefit chronically ill people it shouldn't be taken for fun. It still is a drug. Many people start wit h th is drug.
Medical cannabis is non-addictive (<0,3% THC).

It is being used for following conditions:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• HIV/AIDS
• Cancer
• Crohn's disease
• Epilepsy and seizures
• Glaucoma
• Multiple sclerosis and muscle spasms
• Severe and chronic pain
• Severe nausea

Side effects of cannabis

• Increased heart rate
• Dizziness
• Impaired concentration and memory
• Slower reaction times
• Negative drug-to-drug interactions
• Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
• Increased appetite
• Potential for addiction
• Cyclic vomiting syndrome
• Hallucinations or mental illness
• Withdrawal symptoms

What is interesting is that it can also slow down growth of body cells and stop cancer from spreading (and might even prevent cancer to a certain degree). Unfortunately, in young cannabis users the brain development and growth spurts can be halted. So if you need to take cannabis do it as an adult.
If you want only the health benefit without the more severe side effects, take THC free cannabis oil. It works miracles against anxiety and will help you sleep. You should take it before bed.

Sources of information:

What you can expect from medical marijuana
MARIJUANA CAN SLOW AND STOP CANCER CELLS FROM SPREADING

This is not what the context of this thread is about.

 

[Gift2humanity]

I dont think anyone's bashing it in quite the way you're talking about. Well, not that I can tell anyway, I'm not a master of social whatsits.

In my case, I dont like ANY meds/chemicals/whatever. I dont even drink... ever.

Oh, I have my stupid prescriptions and all, which I hate. I mean they dont seem to do much of anything, but I still hate them just on general principle. Doc says I gotta take them though, and the doc knows all the things I dont. Feh.

But the thing I do know... supported by the various medical professionals in the family... is that use of things like this, or pills of any sort, or whatever... brings dangers with it, when not supported by a real doctor that you've talked to in person. There is no exception, no matter how much someone may like X thing or how good they feel when using it or how beneficial they believe it to be. No. Exception. Even if it's "natural". I can think of more than a few natural things that'll basically poison you if you try to eat them. "Natural" does not instantly mean "good". I wish people would stop using that word in that way. Anyone familiar enough with nature in a general sense, anyone with a connection to it, knows it can be hideously dangerous. Things you consume from it sure as bloody heck aint an exception to that.

Always, and I mean ***ALWAYS*** talk to a doctor before trying ANYTHING like this. Period.

That's all I'm sayin'.

You take your drugs yet they don’t do anything, why?

Because the doctor says.

Doctors are peddlers of pharmaceuticals, pharmaceuticals make big money.

Unless you are taking them for a physical reason like lowering blood pressure, psychotropic pharmaceutical drugs are not only toxic but useless.

Having said this, it is strongly advised not to stop them suddenly as they have bad withdrawals.

Of course there are dangerous substances in nature. We wouldn’t just go and pick any old toadstool and eat it.

The original post did not mention recklessly taking anything just because it is natural.

 

[Gift2humanity]

I think you took this too personal, mostly because you replied to me directly, but so be it.

Not all doctors are 100% spot on either.
They are humans who make judgement calls and often, mistakes when doing so.
I no longer trust very many medical professionals after extreme exposure to them, and I speak from a lot more experience that I would hope you or anyone else will never have to.
A brain specialist almost killed me with a very poor judgement call.
Good thing I didn't trust him, huh?
I have another couple of them I would gladly push down a flight of stairs with him.

I think you missed the point about MJ being natural.
Yes, nature has many poisons that one should avoid, but so does the chemistry lab.
MJ isn't a total unknown, as it has been in use for far longer that any pharmaceuticals.

Just sayin'

True.

 

[Gift2humanity]

I don't mind random musings for the sake of entertainment, but, of course, it's entirely non-sensical. Ironically, it sounds like something one would think of while high.

This sounds like you are assuming the original poster was high when posting this, you cannot know this.

This is a forum for neural divergent thought, we should all be free to express neural divergent thought without ridicule.

 

[Gift2humanity]

Nah, no worries. It's super rare that I take anything personally really.

Much to my non-stop irritation though, the way I talk does rather often make me sound that way.

It's worse in person though. I cant tell you how many times I've gotten something like "what are you so bothered by?" when I'm actually in a good mood and just enjoying scenery or something, simply because we were having a conversation and some blasted thing I said got misconstrued yet again. Tonight I'm in a good mood after exploring some fractal stuff while being on this island. Aint no anger or agitation here. But yeah, it often just... doesnt come out that way when I talk.

One of the many hilarious ways in which the whole autism thing manifests for me.


Now that being said, as for the bit about the doctors specifically: Yes, you are right about that.

BUT. There's a piece of advice that so many will always give: "get a second opinion. And then a third". And THAT is why. Because sometimes... even a professional really is a doofus. Much like dealing with any product or business, if you want a good experience on your end, you MUST shop around. A lot. Even though the process might make you want to stab something. But also, you have to "detach" a bit. Allowing previous experiences to seep into the process destroys logic. Not just with this sort of thing, I mean. Even if you're doing something like, say, buying a new computer, you might find yourself sort of auto-adverse to things that, in reality, are quite good. But previous "conditioning" wont let you see that. Believe me on this one: I've been guilty of it OFTEN. I tend to, well, not deal very well with products/services that dont do what they're bloody well supposed to. It's hard to keep that aspect from sort of "infecting" further shopping experiences. Heck, right now, I'm angling for a new iPad to use for art, despite my UTTER LOATHING for Apple and the fact that my previous iPad is the tech equivalent of a gibbering madman. But dagnabit, I gotta force that out of my mind and look objectively, and right now, all evidence says that this product is what I need. Of course, there is still more research to be done, but it's looking like that'll be the buy.

Back to the docs though, I have doctors I definitely trust, but then, the process of meeting them was very detailed and carried out by someone who is distressingly good at being thorough. Not to mention a lot of experience. With both being on the spectrum, and my non-stop pain, well... yeah, a lot of doctor stuff. And physical therapy (which is the bit I'm TRULY thankful for).

What I tend not to trust is dentists. No, thank you, I dont want A FREAKING DRILL in my mouth. Or whatever other implements of torture they pull outta nowhere. Yes, I have a phobia, thank you.


I've forgotten where I was going with this. Mentally I'm still in fractal-land, it is rather distracting.

I think we are getting away from the original point of the thread.

 

[Gift2humanity]

users hear differently, I think it intensifies the senses, so there's some grounds for the claim.

Agree.

 

[Gift2humanity]

I don't know about all that, but I do know it helps me with anxiety, sleep (without nightmares), and depression. When I first started I didn't feel all that great. It took about 10 times to become comfortable with the effects. I haven't touched it in years, but if I could, I could quit all my prescribed meds I'm pretty sure.

Regular use as I mentioned above brings about negative effects.

Occasional none recreational use puts the user in the highly sensitive and highly perceptive, creative state of mind.

 

[Gift2humanity]

I completly agree with misery. Drugs are not to be taken lightly, even natural remedies. I completly oppose casual drug use, no matter what kind of a drug we're talking about. Natural doesn't mean harmless. For some diseases you need chemical drugs, I know plenty of people who would have been long dead without modern medicine. However, I'm skeptical of psychotropic drugs, I've seen how they did more damage than good.

I've written both about the benefits and dangers of cannabis use, take everything with a grain of salt, there is no magic cure out there.

If you really want to use cannabis, try THC free. It is good for your health and non-addictive. Where I live it is being sold as food supplement (I'm not sure about other places).

Before you use it though, consult a doctor.

We’re getting far away from the original topic here.

 

[Gift2humanity]

Exactly. Cannabis is one of our oldest medicines, and it used to be freely available until it was made illegal for nefarious reasons. Just as alcohol was once prohibited in America, and look at the problems that caused.

So finally cannabis is being recognised as a legitimate medicine again, or just something people can choose to take. Just as they do with alcohol, which is far more damaging and causes far more trouble to people and a massive burden on the health service.

But there's a lot of fear and dis-information, and people think when they hear the word ‘drugs’… they should just say no! Cannabis is not heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, or any of the other synthetic man-made nasties out there. It is something that has been used medicinally and recreationally for generations and will continue to do so. It is much better to be informed than be made to feel afraid.

I am a little disappointed that some people hold such negative views, especially those who have never used it. That is negating all those who really do receive benefit from it, get relief, and are genuinely helped by not having to use all those side-effect ridden pharmaceutical pills.

The creation of problems is the reason for prohibition.

True yet the legalisation of cannabis has also got darker reasons to do with money and power in a nutshell. I agree with Chris Daw QC legalise all drugs, close prisons.

This does not mean I agree with the use of dangerous drugs, it means that prohibition only benefits the dealers, and prison only serves to worsen peoples lives.

I think that people who suffer pain or nausea et cetera could benefit from medical marijuana. The only other legitimate use is occasional non-Recreational use for opening the mind to creativity and spiritual evolution.

 

[Gift2humanity]

Whatever.

As someone who is clean and sober, I know a few things about drugs and alcohol which I wish I didn't:

You are being ridiculous. You are just trying to make excuses for your drug use. Smoking weed doesn't make you feel autistic. It makes you act retarded and kills brain cells. It's also addictive.

P.S. People who want to feel high all the time are called addicts, and they have an illness.

I wish people on this forum would realize they're promoting drug use to youth.

People on this forum need to knock off the cutesy posts about getting high. It's a stupid thing to do. It doesn't make them sound intellectual. It makes them sound like they're trying to make excuses for using drugs, and trying to get others to do drugs with them, because misery loves company.

And by the way, autism is a disability. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

I do not see anywhere in the first post where drug use is been encouraged.

In fact it mentions that it is not talking about merely getting high.

How do you know the poster smokes weed all the time?

They never said they did.

It is an ancient medicinal plant and the original post was made in this context not in the context of recreational drug use.

 

[Gift2humanity]

I'm not sure that's true, but I'm sure @Misery will probably tell us when he's here.

Are you aware of those with epilepsy, especially kids, whose seizures are reduced dramatically, and no other medication helps? To see a kid who has 40 seizures a day have only one or two? This is not drug use, this is medicine.

If anyone has a problem with Cannabis or alcohol it is better they keep away from them. Mixing those things is a never a good idea anyway. But for those adults who can use things responsibly, and like to, it is something that not only works, but is a lot nicer and definitely safer than alcohol.

People are always going to want to relax and get high. We're just like that as humans. Adults should be free to make informed decisions. Fear-mongering never helps.

Medical cannabis is excellent for a wide variety of medical conditions.

Occasional formal ceremonial use is excellent for creativity, insight, wisdom et cetera.

I wish that I had stuck to occasional formal non-smoking use of this plant medicine in its natural form, not in the hydroponically grown form in which we see today.

People do want to get high, I wanted to get high but it came at a price for me.

That is not to say that I disagree with its use as long as it is used responsibly, which I didn’t.

 

[Gift2humanity]

Keep making excuses.

Why the hostility?

 

[Gift2humanity]

I have to reach back to much younger days for that frame of reference. But I don't think it was anything like my normal autistic self. I remember artists thinking that it made them good painters. It didn't. It just made them swirl paint around and around in the same spot and go "Wow". Same basically with any activity and can make them seem more significant or insightful, etc, but its not. My brain function/capabilities definately decreased during those times and it took a good year after leaving it behind to get the brain back up to speed again. I have no doubt it has some medicinal and relaxation qualities (for some, for others it can have the opposite effect and make them paranoid etc.) but it is just like any other drug and has negative side effects as well.

I can draw and paint for photo-realistically, I only discovered this in my 30s.

When my cannabis use dramatically escalated, I thought I was making abstract masterpieces, when really I was repeating the same thing over and over again.

I actually stopped my photo realistic figurative drawing and painting because I got ridiculously stoned every day.

The original post is not about this. This was abuse of cannabis.

This is just my experience, other peoples mileage may vary.

Another drug help me understand the concept of abstract art, important, this does not mean I am suggesting you use drugs to understand abstract art.

I do not need drugs to create abstract art.