ADHD and booze. How is it for you?

[ADHDDDDDDDBOOM]

Two of my children have ADHD, one mild (no diagnoses just my opinion) and one severe, diagnosed.
The severe one I was in denial about for a long time and kept telling teachers that there's nothing wrong with him, he's just like I was at school.
You can see where I'm going with that...?

Im 99.9% sure I have ADHD, as a child I also had tics and OCD, which stopped around the age of 12ish.

I drink wine, I've cut down significantly over the years but I cannot reach complete abstinence.
Ive started seeing a therapist but im also reading a lot about adhd and alcohol.

I recently read that 45% of those with ADHD have issues with alcohol.
This is due to them filling the dopamine void, dampening the ADHD symptoms (boredom, inability to sit still, anxiety etc) and because of their impulsivity.

It's fucking annoying because I feel like I'm up against it.

I wondered what others feelings, knowledge or experience was of this?

if anyone can recommend books (I've read quit lit to death though) or YouTube Chanel's, I'm always wanting to future my knowledge in this area. I'm mildly obsessed with it at the moment.

Gabor Mate speaks on this a lot - it's very common for people with ADHD/ADD to self medicate with drugs or alcohol. He has some excellent videos on YouTube

One of my friends husband was an alcoholic, he was seeing a councillor after she threatened to chuck him out.

Anyway long story short he was diagnosed with ADHD as part of the whole process & is now medicated, he can now quite happily have a pint or a glass of wine without it turning into a 5 hour binge!

So I think there is a link!

Great, I will look them up, ta.

im making myself a nice little list

Addiction generally is a thing in ADHD - be it alcohol, nicotine, cannabis / harder drugs or food.

I have struggled with alcohol and food. I have managed the alcohol thing by implementing a hard and fast rule (which appeals to my autistic traits). The rule is that essentially I am only permitted to drink alcohol if 'out' at a social event. That effectively limits it to around once a week, very occasionally twice. It has stopped me in my tracks when I just fancy a drink on a random Wednesday in front of the tv

Oh god, don't turn to Gabor Mate for anything regarding ADHD. He says it's a reversible condition and kids develop ADHD because they have miserable home lives. If only! You have to laugh, or you'll cry.

Russell Barkley, on the other hand, is amazing. I saw somebody recommend him up-thread. Now there is a proper doctor, who knows ADHD. I actually do cry, when I watch his YouTube videos, because well... watch and you'll see.

Absolutely, Gabor Mate is a total charlatan

Funny you should say that I found a video and the first thing he referred to was children with shit upbringing = ADHD.

Which we know is BS.

We also know that symptom of ACE's is almost identical to ADHD symptoms, so he's barking up the wrong tree there IMO.

I think I have swapped out alcohol with tiktok for my evening dopamine hit - which is probably healthier but a little embarrassing at my age

I found some of Gabor Mate's thoughts on ADHD quite helpful. At least the bit where he describes ADHD as attachment seeking. That was definitely the case for me and once I realised that I started focussing on nurturing existing attachments instead of constantly trying to form bonds with new people.

It has been really, really helpful for me.

God yes, Gabor Mate blames the parents! It made me so angry. It’s bloody genetic - no one’s fault.

@ADHDDDDDDDBOOM what does ACE stand for?

Adverse Childhood Experiences.

The poster is talking about the overlap in presentation between complex PTSD from childhood trauma and ADHD.

I think the waiting lists have shot up in the last few years so wouldn't expect it to be as short as it was for in 2021, but it's worth doing anyway. GP told me it would be a long wait so I expected years but was pleasantly surprised.

Friend has just been added to waiting list for Autism assessment (different pathway) and been told 2 years wait.

there is so much over lap with both trauma and with autism. but they aren't exclusive. i have autisic traits for sure. my son doesn't.
menopause and trauma have undoubtedly contributed to my adhd. but did they trigger it? i don't know.
there is so much still to explore with this. it is fascinating really.
the teens i know with adhd all vape smoke drink act impulsively. it's hard on the parents. i aslo worry there about the depression that can be a direct result of doing those things while medicated. but this could be coincidental ? again i don't know.
lots of good stuff on instagram. cute couple adhdlove i think they're called. helps to explain stuff in a compact way (helpful if u bore easily!) is it my adhd podcast also vg.

I don’t drink often or much and I’m not diagnosed but I grew up in an alcoholic home and come from a long line of alcoholics. I can now see they were self medicating…
When I do drink I feel a calm I don’t get in my head other times so I can see how drinking daily would feel amazing… anyway I have ocd and an ED

I am sorry to hear that you have an ED - that is a tough one x

I really don't get on with podcasts, I wish I did. I expect there's a lot of helpful things on there.

i never used to either but then i got airpods and i have found that i can get on with really dull tasks if i have somethint to listen to. yes i realise i am a hundred years late to the party with this.

Fantastic thread - thank you @ADHDDDDDDDBOOM. I’m making an appt next week with my GP to ask for a referral for an ADHD assessment. I have one DC with diagnosed medicated ADHD and one who’s just been assessed for ADD. My mum even said she’d write the GP a note about what I was like as a child / teen 🙄😆.

Does anyone have an idea of the cost involved in getting assessed via ADHD360?

Re self medicating - I’m a HCP working in critical care. Where I work we see a huge amount of addiction / substance misuse / alcoholism etc. I often wonder how many of our patients are undiagnosed ND. I def self medicate with carbs and refined sugar. Not so much alcohol as I have horrific hangovers which is a blessing as I know I would otherwise.

People with ADHD are considerably more likely to go on to have high stress, go go go jobs.

Like yours.

My dad was a fireman and my mum was an A&a nurse. Couples with ADHD are also likely to be attracted to one another both in terms of friendship and relationships.

I had a look at ADHD360 but I couldn't get the website to work, I believe it cost about £1000 in total. But I may be incorrect.

i wager most adult mental health issues stem from undiagnosed ND.

https://www.adhd-360.com/pricing/

@ADHDDDDDDDBOOM literally soooo true about the go go go job choice! Our dept was Armageddon during the pandemic and I was working about 60 hours a week. Never got tired, never got stressed, never got burn out (obviously it was emotionally challenging and I’m sure I’d have crashed at some point). But a q-word shift? Can’t handle it at all. I always say that if I’d not had DC I’d have worked for something like MSF in a war zone. My DH is about as NT as they come. God knows how he puts up with me. Interestingly I could see my ADHD youngest child as a paramedic or firefighter.

Woah £1000 😳. Think I’ll try my GP first!

Also re the podcasts - they took me a little while to get into but now they are my favourite thing: I get so much done listening to them as they keep my overactive brain stimulated while I do the crappy jobs like sorting a ton of laundry.

Am medicated and no longer want to drink.

@KaliforniaDreamz i couldn’t agree more. I fought so bloody hard to get my youngest assessed and formally diagnosed because of what I see at work.

What was drinking like for you before medication?