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ADHD and Addiction
Bill D. was 39 years old when he conceded that alcohol was making his life unmanageable. That was a hard admission but since then, life has been better; not always easy, but better. He sought help through twelve-step groups and an addiction-specialist counselor. The counselor first brought up the subject of attention deficit disorder (ADHD). Since then, he has been on a journey of sobriety and of understanding how his attention deficit has affected his life. He has found that there are aspects of ADHD and addictions that overlap quite a bit, both in the ways they influenced him when he was ignorant of them, and in the process of acceptance. It's amazing what a difference it makes to know about ADHD and to face it sober. Bill is a husband and father of two. He is a lawyer, a writer, and a guitar player. Recent Blog Posts
"Coming to terms with my ADD has been eye opening. It is an amazing realization to know that it is not my personal failure that makes it hard for me to stay on task." It's no wonder they call flash card practice "drills." To get my seven-year-old son to go through his math cards with me after dinner brings to mind other dental metaphors, most notably "like pulling teeth." But the other night I heard myself tell him something that seemed a rare display of healthy messaging and, perhaps, good parenting. I attribute it to my understanding of ADD, my...Continue Reading »
A healthy dose of white noise actually quiets my ADHD mind, allowing it to focus on what's important. Telling a good buzz from a bad buzz hasn't always been easy, though. I don't have time to write this blog. And if I did, I'd never get it done. It's good to know that about myself. I feel more productive with three balls in the air and a bit of drama or self-inflicted crisis in the background. The "noise" of deadlines and anxiety helps me focus, and I dare say I'm not the only ADHD adult who performs better...Continue Reading »
Meditation and prayer are a challenge for my ADHD brain. My wife came back from a weekend trip to Arizona with loads of goodies for the kids – t-shirts, cacti seeds, and lollipops with dead scorpions embedded in them – cool stuff. She got me a gift too, which is an answer to prayer in and of itself for a guy whose alcoholic bottom almost drove her away. It was not the manliest looking gift. It...Continue Reading »
New Year’s resolutions, I've always said, are nothing more than a set-up for failure. Now, after my ADHD diagnosis, I'm taking a hard look at those annual attempts and why they failed in the past. What do I have to show for a lifetime of New Year's resolutions? A trail of abandoned best intentions -- and not much more. Whether it was quitting smoking, exercising more, or getting more organized, all of my former resolutions went by the wayside -- usually before February 1. I understand that ADHD involves a lack of sufficient blood flow to the important part of the...Continue Reading »
As a teen, I used alcohol and drugs to minimize the idiosyncrasies of my ADHD brain. Now in recovery, I'm finally ready to embrace them. You hear it in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings all the time: That story of adolescent awkwardness -- of not fitting in with family, classmates, the "in crowd." Feeling different often precedes the first fateful drink. And alcohol too often becomes the Number One escape because it alleviates that uncomfortable feeling of difference. The type of drinker who ends up in an AA meeting feels like they...Continue Reading »
No wonder the 12-step recovery program is so helpful for me. It's a list that my ADHD mind can conquer one day at a time! One of the great and simple tools I’ve learned to help me manage my ADHD is the to-do list. I’m not super-organized (obviously) and am very low tech. My lists at work are usually scratched out on whatever pad is sitting closest to the top of a pile on my chaotic desk. Once its there though, the list acts like a beacon, a lighthouse I...Continue Reading »
I was nine months into sobriety and learning how to handle life without alcohol when my addiction-specialist counselor suggested that my disorganization, procrastination, lack of impulse control may stem from ADHD. He was right. My addiction-specialist counselor asked me one day if I had ever been diagnosed with ADHD. I had not. It had never even crossed my mind. I was nine months into sobriety and learning how to handle life without alcohol. He told me a little about ADHD, enough that I could recognize myself; disorganization, procrastination, lack of impulse control and, of course, substance abuse. I called my wife after...Continue Reading » « All Blogs |
    
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