59 | Meet Vas: Late Diagnosed Autistic, Substance Use, and Harm Reduction

(TW:Talk about substances + suicide)

In episode fifty-nine, Alex and Karly introduce the pod to Vas.

From Vas: I am from Stockton CA. I graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020. I had a couple-year long career in case management, harm reduction, therapy, and social work, which was rewarding but drove me into the ground and didn’t give me the time to properly care for myself. I was suffering from autistic burnout (pre-diagnosis) and the problem was worsened by my frustration with my burnout symptoms impacting my ability to “function like normal”. After taking a few months off to move back home and focus on my health, I was diagnosed (at 25 years old) with Autism. My diagnosis made me kinder on myself and more understanding of my challenges in light of the new diagnosis, and after learning to work with (as opposed to against) my brain I am now looking into doing Harm Reduction work (in direct service and policy) and potentially pursuing a PhD in Public Policy. I still don’t “function like normal”, but who the hell wants ‘normal’ anyway !

In this episode, Vas shares about their experiences with substance use, ways society can provide support and direction in harm reduction. This episode may be triggering to some, but is an important topic to learn about.

Thank you for listening!