Boston University, USA.
Hunter College, City University of New York, USA.
Autism. 2023 Jan;27(1):213-225. doi: 10.1177/13623613221091319. Epub 2022 May 2.
Hazardous alcohol use is when a person's drinking puts them at increased risk for negative events (e.g. health problems or car crashes). Some studies show that autistic people may be at greater risk for hazardous alcohol use than non-autistic people, while other studies have found that hazardous alcohol use is less common among autistic people than non-autistic people. We need to learn why autistic underage youth choose to drink alcohol or not. The goal of this study was to learn from US autistic youth about their attitudes and behavior related to alcohol. Forty autistic youth aged 16-20 years old were interviewed. Youth described several reasons why they choose to drink alcohol, including feeling like non-autistic people are more accepting when drinking, that it puts them in a less irritable or bored mood, helps them cope with problems, and helps them fit in. Reasons for not drinking alcohol include worries about becoming addicted, medication interactions, not liking the taste, fear of experiencing hangover and other health problems, and concern about acting foolish when drunk. Results reveal that hazardous alcohol use in autistic adults could have its roots in underage experiences that give autistic youth temporary relief from social anxiety, feeling lonely, and challenges with sensory processing. Right now, there are no evidence-based alcohol prevention programs in the United States for autistic people. One or more such programs may be needed. The results from this study could be used to adapt existing programs for non-autistic youth to the unique needs and risk factors of autistic youth.
危险饮酒是指一个人的饮酒行为使其面临更高的负面事件风险（例如健康问题或车祸）。一些研究表明，自闭症患者比非自闭症患者更有可能出现危险饮酒行为，而其他研究则发现自闭症患者比非自闭症患者更不容易出现危险饮酒行为。我们需要了解为什么自闭症青少年选择饮酒或不饮酒。本研究的目的是了解美国自闭症青少年与饮酒相关的态度和行为。对 40 名 16-20 岁的自闭症青少年进行了访谈。青少年描述了他们选择饮酒的几个原因，包括他们觉得自己在饮酒时更能被非自闭症人群接受，喝酒能让他们的心情不那么烦躁或无聊，有助于他们应对问题，帮助他们融入群体。不饮酒的原因包括担心成瘾、药物相互作用、不喜欢酒的味道、害怕出现宿醉和其他健康问题，以及担心喝醉后举止愚蠢。结果表明，自闭症成年人的危险饮酒行为可能源于青少年时期的经历，这些经历暂时缓解了他们的社交焦虑、孤独感和感官处理方面的挑战。目前，美国还没有针对自闭症患者的基于循证的酒精预防计划。可能需要一个或多个这样的计划。本研究的结果可用于改编针对非自闭症青少年的现有计划，以满足自闭症青少年的独特需求和风险因素。
