Sensory Processing Patterns and Alcohol Use in Autistic Adults

Introduction

In many discussions of autism, sensory differences — being oversensitive (or undersensitive) to lights, sounds, textures, smells — are central.
Less often discussed is how these sensory processing patterns influence behaviours like alcohol use.

The 2023 study “Sensory processing and alcohol use in adults with ASD” explored exactly that: how sensory traits in autistic adults might intersect with alcohol use patterns.
Read the study on ScienceDirect →

• Why This Research Matters
• Study Overview
• Key Findings
  • 🎯 1. Sensory Avoidance & Alcohol Use
  • 🧠 2. Sensory Sensitivity & Risk Patterns
  • 🛡️ 3. Protective Sensory Profiles
  • 📉 4. Implications for Support & Services
• Practical Implications for Practice & Policy
• The Bigger Picture
• Citation

Why This Research Matters

• Sensory processing differences are a core part of the autistic experience and can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, and emotional fatigue.
• Alcohol use is often viewed through social or coping lenses, but for autistic adults the sensory domain might present a unique motive or risk factor.
• Understanding how sensory traits intersect with alcohol use enables more tailored preventive and intervention strategies that respect neurodivergent experience.

Study Overview

• The research recruited autistic adults and assessed their sensory processing profiles (for example, sensory-seeking, sensory avoidance, sensory sensitivity).
• Participants reported on their current alcohol use patterns, frequency, and motives.
• The study then analysed associations between sensory-processing traits and aspects of alcohol use — adjusting for confounders like age, gender, and co-occurring conditions.

Key Findings

🎯 1. Sensory Avoidance & Alcohol Use

Autistic adults who reported higher sensory avoidance (actively trying to minimise sensory input) were more likely to report using alcohol to reduce sensory load — for example, “to quiet my mind when everything feels too loud.”
The study found a significant positive association between sensory-avoidant profiles and frequency of alcohol use.
Source → ScienceDirect, 2023

🧠 2. Sensory Sensitivity & Risk Patterns

Those with sensory sensitivity (extreme reactions to sensory input) had increased odds of reporting alcohol-related harms.
Unlike social-driven drinking, their alcohol use often followed patterns of self-medication: trying to reduce dysregulation rather than enhance sociability.

🛡️ 3. Protective Sensory Profiles

Interestingly, some sensory-seeking profiles (seeking extra stimulation) were associated with lower typical alcohol use than expected.
The authors speculated that those individuals might find other non-alcohol channels for stimulation or may be more aware of sensory-intolerant states and thus avoid alcohol’s unpredictable effects.

📉 4. Implications for Support & Services

Alcohol-use screening in autistic adults should include sensory-processing questions such as:

• “Do you drink to reduce sensory overwhelm?”
• “Does drinking help you when your senses feel overloaded?”
• “Does it help you regulate your sensory environment when you can’t otherwise?”

Services should consider sensory-friendly spaces, predictable routines, and alternative coping tools beyond alcohol for managing sensory experience.

Practical Implications for Practice & Policy

The Bigger Picture

This study reminds us that alcohol use in autistic adults isn’t simply about “peer pressure” or “social drinking” — it can be deeply rooted in the sensory experience of navigating a world not designed for neurodiversity.
Support frameworks must therefore expand beyond the social/emotional lens and include the sensory dimension of lived experience.

Citation

Schmidt, H., et al. (2023). Sensory processing and alcohol use in adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Addictive Behaviors, 144, 107862.
Read on ScienceDirect →