Isolated with Asperger's Syndrome?

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I'm now almost 47 years old and find that I'm almost completely isolated. I live alone with 1 dog and 3 cats. I had no children and have 1 brother who is mean toward me and both of my parents have passed. I have maybe 1 friend that actually does things with me sometimes. I do have a job as a digital print operator that keeps me busy and requires some social interaction for 8 hrs, 5 days a week. In my off hours, I'm alone. My brother says there is something wrong with me because of how I live. Does any one else live like me with Aspergers?

The answer is yes to your question. For those Aspies that are not good at relationships and socialization, it tends to happen to them as they get older. It can even happen occasionally to NTs that do not "fit" the stereotypical timeline for when they usually settle down. Friends in serious relationships tend to desert those who are single, especially when marriage/kids come into the big picture. It is a part of life.

As a self-identifying Aspie in my 40s, I fall into that same space, so I know how you feel. The few good friends that I still have left live out of state from me, so I tend to spend the majority of my free time away from everyone else. You are not alone in this.

Are you happy with that? If so, I think everything is alright, probably? Hehe. It's nice to see older aspies, gives me a glimpse of what my life may be when I'm older!

I'm an autie rather than an Aspie, and I'm 60, but I'm in a similar situation. I live alone with 7 rescued cats, was married twice but never had children. I have one surviving sister (who scored high on an autism self-test) and we didn't speak for about 12 years or so, but now I call her every couple of weeks - that helps especially in terms of understanding our childhood. I moved from Southern California to Colorado and left behind many people I knew, and I had a couple of friends here, but one dropped me like a hot potato when I told him I started going back to church, and the other I seldom see, as she is very focused on a new job plus she and her husband are very busy with animal causes. My ex-wife and I got divorced about 8 years ago. I got caught in a mass layoff almost two years ago, and the social and technical interaction from that is gone. It's next to impossible for me to socialize at church, although I liked volunteering, so I've let that go. Mostly I spend my time alone - I do a lot of work on my garden and one-acre yard and cleaning and maintaining my house, which is rather large, and caring for cats with medical issues. I used to be a lot more active with animal rescue, etc. and now find myself in a time where I can do what I want, sort of an empty/unstructured space. I'd definitely rather have more contact and activities, and I have faith something will come along. Your brother is being overly critical: there's nothing wrong with you or how you live, given that you have Aspergers.

My brother rejected my diagnosed years ago and says I'm just crazy like the rest of our family. My co worker says he is just being over critical of me because his life is worse than mine. He was in prison for 14 yrs and now lives with his wife in a motorhome. She said he is jealous that I a person with Aspergers is living better off. I own my home, have a fairly decent job and don't have anyone that depends on me other than my animals.

I'm isolated by choice, because I don't enjoy other people's company & don't like talking -- don't mind typing, but I rarely ever go back to threads to read replies.

At your age, OP, I was basically the same. My mom passed away, I had just two cats left, no friends, no driver's license. Today, things are much better and I'm no longer isolated. However, I am not certain I will ever get married. I still work just part time, but my duties have substantially expanded. Yesterday, on my Saturday shift, I performed some new activities.

We need to find a modern-day whale ship to sign onto.

How it is, there is no telling, but Islanders seem to make the best whalemen. They were nearly all Islanders in the Pequod, Isolatoes too, I call such, not acknowledging the common continent of men, but each Isolato living on a separate continent of his own. Yet now, federated along one keel, what a set these Isolatoes were! An Anacharsis Clootz deputation from all the isles of the sea, and all the ends of the earth.

I like being alone. Many people asked me questions like: "Are you lonely?", "Have you ever thought about having a family?" My firm "no" seems to bother them. One of them said years before I had participated in some social activities why I stopped now. My answer: I feel burnt-out. No one knows how tiring socialising is. Spending too much with people taxes my energy and at worst ruins my creativity. People think I am depressed. No, I am not. I am quite content.

I'm not isolated in the sense that I have nobody around to talk to, but I do feel isolated in the fact that I don't relate to anybody and get little out of social interactions, if anything at all. I feel isolated for many other reasons as well. I predict alot of isolation in my future due to many factors. The depressing thing for me right now is, even though I have people to connect to, I still feel alone. And someday, I may be truly, truly alone.