I am curious if anyone else has been also diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, I have been doing some research on this and it does seem there is a link between ADD and a higher probabilty for addiction issues.
I have been diagnosed with it by a couple of different M.D's but I am still not so sure. I think the diagnosis of ADD is given out way to freely these days, considering there are no difinitive tests to give a positive diagnosis.
I always did well in school, I just seem to have alot of difficulty focusing, and I can start anything but finishing is very difficult for me. I will many times find myself jumping from one thing to the next, not really getting much accomplished at all.
Just not sure what the answer is..............Taking meds for ADD or not?
If anyone has any insight on this please let me know.
Thanks
Hi Java...
I was diagnosed Bi-polar many years ago by a couple different doctors and was on a slew of different anti-depressents over a 10-12 year period but none of them ever worked...but, I was always using a substance whether it be alcohol then pills, anything to change/alter my being....I was unhappy, depressed, unorganized, hopeless...plain uncomfortable in my own skin...
After I ct'd the pills, quit the anti-depressants, quit smoking pot and allowed my body to clean out all chemicals I had been polluting it with, things started to get better...when I started going to AA and listening to others, taking suggestions and working the 12steps, things have changed dramatically for me....Today I am happy, today I can start a project and complete it, today my mind isn't racing all the time, today there is hope for a different way of life than the way I had been living it for the previous 25yrs....
Now, I do have a couple of friends in the program that are truly bi-polar and taking med's is just as important as not taking that first drink/pill...My husband is ADD and he does not take meds, just accepts who he is and trys to stay focused on issues in front of him...
Jody, I would suggest being patient with yourself and get off the sub first, let your body heal from the years of chemical abuse and let yourself become detoxified before starting another medication....You never know, the symptoms you show may just start to go away after your body is cleansed...and if not, then you can re-evaluate the situation and decide from there....
Take care,
Stacey
I was diagnosed Bi-polar many years ago by a couple different doctors and was on a slew of different anti-depressents over a 10-12 year period but none of them ever worked...but, I was always using a substance whether it be alcohol then pills, anything to change/alter my being....I was unhappy, depressed, unorganized, hopeless...plain uncomfortable in my own skin...
After I ct'd the pills, quit the anti-depressants, quit smoking pot and allowed my body to clean out all chemicals I had been polluting it with, things started to get better...when I started going to AA and listening to others, taking suggestions and working the 12steps, things have changed dramatically for me....Today I am happy, today I can start a project and complete it, today my mind isn't racing all the time, today there is hope for a different way of life than the way I had been living it for the previous 25yrs....
Now, I do have a couple of friends in the program that are truly bi-polar and taking med's is just as important as not taking that first drink/pill...My husband is ADD and he does not take meds, just accepts who he is and trys to stay focused on issues in front of him...
Jody, I would suggest being patient with yourself and get off the sub first, let your body heal from the years of chemical abuse and let yourself become detoxified before starting another medication....You never know, the symptoms you show may just start to go away after your body is cleansed...and if not, then you can re-evaluate the situation and decide from there....
Take care,
Stacey
Hi Jody -
To answer your question - yes, there is a much higher rate of addiction among people with ADD (especially ADHD), and among the BPD diagnosed. It makes sense to think there is the element of attempting to self-medicate and then the addictive brain takes over. Folks with these diagnoses also generally have some kind of OCD which also increases the risk of addiction. Sadly, I have quite a lot of experience with this and have spent the last eight years educating myself and being educated by a battery of doctors, books, websites, and therapists, as well as watching my own daughter struggle.
Stacey's advice is excellent; everything she said is right on. Meetings have become a huge part of my daughter's recovery and management of her BPD/OCD. They have a calming effect and they are a place where she can feel absolutely 'normal' - kind of a new feeling for her. She is far more centered and far less volatile.
Give yourself the chance you deserve.
Peace~MomNMore
To answer your question - yes, there is a much higher rate of addiction among people with ADD (especially ADHD), and among the BPD diagnosed. It makes sense to think there is the element of attempting to self-medicate and then the addictive brain takes over. Folks with these diagnoses also generally have some kind of OCD which also increases the risk of addiction. Sadly, I have quite a lot of experience with this and have spent the last eight years educating myself and being educated by a battery of doctors, books, websites, and therapists, as well as watching my own daughter struggle.
Stacey's advice is excellent; everything she said is right on. Meetings have become a huge part of my daughter's recovery and management of her BPD/OCD. They have a calming effect and they are a place where she can feel absolutely 'normal' - kind of a new feeling for her. She is far more centered and far less volatile.
Give yourself the chance you deserve.
Peace~MomNMore
I don't usually post links to books, Jody; however, this one is worthy to this thread.
A dear family member of mine was diagnosed with ADD. This book really brought it home for me in understanding why certain behaviors that were foreign to me were exhibited by my loved one.
The book is titled "Driven to Distraction" and is authored by two psychiatrists who have ADD. Here's a link to the book with some explanation about it's content:
http://user.cybrzn.com/~kenyonck/ad...tract_hard.html
I pulled my copy of this book off of my bookshelf a few minutes ago and turned to that section. The authors start out by stating:
"Of the many masks that ADD wears, substance abuse is one of the most difficult to see behind because the substance abuse itself causes such problems. When someone is alcoholic, is abusing cocaine, or is dependent upon marijuana, we often become so preoccupied with the problems the drug use creates that we fail to consider what purpose the drug must be serving for the user. ADD is one of the underlying causes of substance abuse that is particularly important to look for, because it can be treated.
There are a host of reasons people drink, or use cocaine, or smoke dope. To find a moment's pleasure, to flee pain, to fit in, to relax, are common reasons for using drugs. When the use becomes abuse, then it can become an illness in itself. It is widely accepted now that alcoholism is a disease, with its own genetics, natural history, treatment, and prognosis. Whether it is the "the pain of being a man," to use Samuel Johnson's phrase, that leads people to drink, or drink that creates the alcoholic's pain is still an open debate. However; it may be that alcoholism is its own cause, without any other factor underlying it.
But perhaps more subtle than the disease concept of alcoholism, and of substance abuse in general, is the self-medication hypothesis advanced by Edward Khantzian, a psychoanalyst as well as a specialist in the field of substance abuse. He proposes the idea that people use drugs to treat some underlying bad feeling. They use the drug, whether it be alcohol, cocaine, tobacco, marijuana, or whatever, as a kind of self-prescribed medication for what ails them emotionally. The drug then creates physical and emotional problems of its own, so that repeated use of the drug becomes an attempt to treat the drug's own side effects, as in having a drink to cure a hangover. But the abuse begins in an attempt to cure some bad feeling. One may use alcohol, for exampe to treat depression, or use marijuana to alleviate feelings of low self-esteem.
This concept is especially useful in understanding the relationship between ADD and substance abuse. Many people who have undiagnosed ADD feel bad and don't know why. Some feel depressed, as we have mentioned above. Some feel agitated or anxious. Many more feel distracted and unfocused, living in a sort of disjointed limbo, waiting to come in for a landing. This feeling of unease or what psychiatrists call "dysphoria," doesn't have a context or even a name. It's just life, in the mind of the people who feel it. You can live with something all your life but not be aware of it in its own right; it is simply a part of you. So it is with many of our feelings. Until we name them, they are entwined in our sense of self. Naming the feelings gives us some leverage over them. Being able to say "I am sad" can make the sadess less disabling. Once we recognize a feeling, we can attempt to control or change it. On the other hand, people who cannot say "I am sad" or "I am angry" are often directed or overpowered by these emotion in ways they are quite oblivious to.
So, too, for the dsyphoria associated with ADD. It is a peculiar kind of feeling, the distractibility-within-self many ADD people feel. The feeling, unrecognized and untreated, often leads to substance abuse through attempts at self-medication."
This explanation of ADD with Substance Abuse goes into greater detail than what I have briefly written for you here. If you choose to buy this book Jody, be sure you read chapter 6 - "Parts of the Elephant - Subtypes of ADD." The subtypes that is discussed - ADD with Substance Abuse - was a real eye opener for me.
I hope this helps.
Namaste ~
Sammy
A dear family member of mine was diagnosed with ADD. This book really brought it home for me in understanding why certain behaviors that were foreign to me were exhibited by my loved one.
The book is titled "Driven to Distraction" and is authored by two psychiatrists who have ADD. Here's a link to the book with some explanation about it's content:
http://user.cybrzn.com/~kenyonck/ad...tract_hard.html
I pulled my copy of this book off of my bookshelf a few minutes ago and turned to that section. The authors start out by stating:
"Of the many masks that ADD wears, substance abuse is one of the most difficult to see behind because the substance abuse itself causes such problems. When someone is alcoholic, is abusing cocaine, or is dependent upon marijuana, we often become so preoccupied with the problems the drug use creates that we fail to consider what purpose the drug must be serving for the user. ADD is one of the underlying causes of substance abuse that is particularly important to look for, because it can be treated.
There are a host of reasons people drink, or use cocaine, or smoke dope. To find a moment's pleasure, to flee pain, to fit in, to relax, are common reasons for using drugs. When the use becomes abuse, then it can become an illness in itself. It is widely accepted now that alcoholism is a disease, with its own genetics, natural history, treatment, and prognosis. Whether it is the "the pain of being a man," to use Samuel Johnson's phrase, that leads people to drink, or drink that creates the alcoholic's pain is still an open debate. However; it may be that alcoholism is its own cause, without any other factor underlying it.
But perhaps more subtle than the disease concept of alcoholism, and of substance abuse in general, is the self-medication hypothesis advanced by Edward Khantzian, a psychoanalyst as well as a specialist in the field of substance abuse. He proposes the idea that people use drugs to treat some underlying bad feeling. They use the drug, whether it be alcohol, cocaine, tobacco, marijuana, or whatever, as a kind of self-prescribed medication for what ails them emotionally. The drug then creates physical and emotional problems of its own, so that repeated use of the drug becomes an attempt to treat the drug's own side effects, as in having a drink to cure a hangover. But the abuse begins in an attempt to cure some bad feeling. One may use alcohol, for exampe to treat depression, or use marijuana to alleviate feelings of low self-esteem.
This concept is especially useful in understanding the relationship between ADD and substance abuse. Many people who have undiagnosed ADD feel bad and don't know why. Some feel depressed, as we have mentioned above. Some feel agitated or anxious. Many more feel distracted and unfocused, living in a sort of disjointed limbo, waiting to come in for a landing. This feeling of unease or what psychiatrists call "dysphoria," doesn't have a context or even a name. It's just life, in the mind of the people who feel it. You can live with something all your life but not be aware of it in its own right; it is simply a part of you. So it is with many of our feelings. Until we name them, they are entwined in our sense of self. Naming the feelings gives us some leverage over them. Being able to say "I am sad" can make the sadess less disabling. Once we recognize a feeling, we can attempt to control or change it. On the other hand, people who cannot say "I am sad" or "I am angry" are often directed or overpowered by these emotion in ways they are quite oblivious to.
So, too, for the dsyphoria associated with ADD. It is a peculiar kind of feeling, the distractibility-within-self many ADD people feel. The feeling, unrecognized and untreated, often leads to substance abuse through attempts at self-medication."
This explanation of ADD with Substance Abuse goes into greater detail than what I have briefly written for you here. If you choose to buy this book Jody, be sure you read chapter 6 - "Parts of the Elephant - Subtypes of ADD." The subtypes that is discussed - ADD with Substance Abuse - was a real eye opener for me.
I hope this helps.
Namaste ~
Sammy
thank you Sammy for posting that, This unfortunately hits close to home for me, my 7 year old has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and is now on ritalin LA. We have seen improvements in his school work, but the addiction thing scares me. His self esteem remains very high, I think THAT is key in all this as well as "filling his emotional tank" so to speak.
Regards,
Tom
Regards,
Tom
Jody - Driven to Distraction is an excellent resource and I believe the author (Hallowell) is a Harvard-educated doc with ADHD. It's been awhile since I read it, but it's very useful. I just wanted to add that ADD/ADHD folk generally choose to abuse drugs from the speed family because amphetamines actually help their brains function better. (Yeah, weird, right? They're hyperactive but need stimulants to feel normal, go figure.)
Tom - I know how hard it is to have a little one with ADD. I teach fourth grade and your child will thank you later for not waiting. While I completely disagree with teachers who attempt to diagnose children in order to have a more manageable classroom, my kids who get meds when they are in fourth or fifth grade are usually amazed at how different (normal) they feel and they get upset when they miss their meds because they know how much harder it makes their learning. I have had children tell me they just can't believe that this is how most people are able to function without medication. Love and "filling that emotional tank" should always come first, with structure, routine, and scheduling next, but medication can make an enormous difference for the truly ADD child. Good luck with the Ritalin.
~MomNMore
Tom - I know how hard it is to have a little one with ADD. I teach fourth grade and your child will thank you later for not waiting. While I completely disagree with teachers who attempt to diagnose children in order to have a more manageable classroom, my kids who get meds when they are in fourth or fifth grade are usually amazed at how different (normal) they feel and they get upset when they miss their meds because they know how much harder it makes their learning. I have had children tell me they just can't believe that this is how most people are able to function without medication. Love and "filling that emotional tank" should always come first, with structure, routine, and scheduling next, but medication can make an enormous difference for the truly ADD child. Good luck with the Ritalin.
~MomNMore
Hey!
A friend of mine has OCD, what kind of meds work for you? Are they the SSRI's? He's going to see a Dr. and I hope there is something out there to give him some relief. His thing is constant numbers, like there are good numbers and bad so you have to make everything equal out to a good number. For example: the days of the week are 7 starting with monday as one. 10 is the best number so, on Sundays (day 7) he'll touch something 3 times because 7 + 3 = 10. 9 is a bad number and to be avoided, so is 3. He can't go to sleep if the closet door isn't closed all the way. All the clothes in the closet must be facing the same way. It must be exhausting for him, not to mention it's difficult to have a conversation, because I think his mind is always on this obsession. The up side is, he loves to clean & he always knows where everything is. It must be difficult (to say the least) to constantly counting things, or cleaning things. Safety's another big thing, he thinks if he forgets to say "be careful" and someone gets hurt, it's his fault. Any advice?
A friend of mine has OCD, what kind of meds work for you? Are they the SSRI's? He's going to see a Dr. and I hope there is something out there to give him some relief. His thing is constant numbers, like there are good numbers and bad so you have to make everything equal out to a good number. For example: the days of the week are 7 starting with monday as one. 10 is the best number so, on Sundays (day 7) he'll touch something 3 times because 7 + 3 = 10. 9 is a bad number and to be avoided, so is 3. He can't go to sleep if the closet door isn't closed all the way. All the clothes in the closet must be facing the same way. It must be exhausting for him, not to mention it's difficult to have a conversation, because I think his mind is always on this obsession. The up side is, he loves to clean & he always knows where everything is. It must be difficult (to say the least) to constantly counting things, or cleaning things. Safety's another big thing, he thinks if he forgets to say "be careful" and someone gets hurt, it's his fault. Any advice?
adhd and ocd two subjects that i am famiiar with and also have had experience with.
ocd is something i suffered with for years, i remember as a young child i thought that if i touched something on the left side of my body last like a hand or foot it would mean i would have a heart attack since the heart is some what on the left side of the body, i would spend exhausting moments going up and down stairs because i either ended i up with the last step being my left foot or i may have touched something last with my left hand, later in life i became a checker, i had to keep coming back into the house and check things because i thought i left the curling iron plugged in or i didnt put out that cigarette. paxil has helped me tremendously as well as the depression for that.
last summer i took the gordon test and was diagnosed with add, i took ritalin, did nothing so i went off, i still have trouble focusing and accomplishing tasks.
my poor brother had add too but back in the 60's what did they know? my dad chose to treat it with beatings whenever he got a bad report from school.
now my youngest son has adhd, he is 19 now and i would say he is no longer hyper, but it still effects him today.
i took him to many doctors and finally an add specialist who also had written a book which i read. my son was treated with adderal and ritalin, whuch seemed to help some. i became worried as the side effects of these medicines are difficulty with erections, i didnt want a young teen thinking something was wrong with him in that dept. so i would throw subtle hints like son, look at these side effects on the print out etc. in time he said to me, i dont want to be on this medication anymore, as he suffered stomach aches and no appetite, i tried to persuade him to stay on it especially with him just learning to drive, i was worried he would not pay attention driving. he insisted going off it, i wonder if he experienced that side effect, i will never know but i figured he is an adult now and has that right to decide.
he has problems in college now, he is taking auto mechanics, he has no problem with hands on things, never has, but when it came to focusing on the biology part ( why biology for auto mechanics?) he gave up and took an F for the class, he was so ashamed that he hid the report card in the bottom of the trash, when he told me about the grade and showed me how he hid the report card, my heart just sank for him, here is brother just graduated college and his self esteem was so low, i praised him and told him how proud i was of him and honey, you have a learning disorder and that is nothing to be ashamed of so add has been a hinderance for him on career plans and his future. so i try to encourage him to do hands on things. he was in a big hurry to move out when he graduated and now he says mom can i have more time at home? i am like of course you can, i want them to live with me forever but we know that is not the right thing for them to do. anyway i have a little more time before the nest is empty, yeah! jewels
ocd is something i suffered with for years, i remember as a young child i thought that if i touched something on the left side of my body last like a hand or foot it would mean i would have a heart attack since the heart is some what on the left side of the body, i would spend exhausting moments going up and down stairs because i either ended i up with the last step being my left foot or i may have touched something last with my left hand, later in life i became a checker, i had to keep coming back into the house and check things because i thought i left the curling iron plugged in or i didnt put out that cigarette. paxil has helped me tremendously as well as the depression for that.
last summer i took the gordon test and was diagnosed with add, i took ritalin, did nothing so i went off, i still have trouble focusing and accomplishing tasks.
my poor brother had add too but back in the 60's what did they know? my dad chose to treat it with beatings whenever he got a bad report from school.
now my youngest son has adhd, he is 19 now and i would say he is no longer hyper, but it still effects him today.
i took him to many doctors and finally an add specialist who also had written a book which i read. my son was treated with adderal and ritalin, whuch seemed to help some. i became worried as the side effects of these medicines are difficulty with erections, i didnt want a young teen thinking something was wrong with him in that dept. so i would throw subtle hints like son, look at these side effects on the print out etc. in time he said to me, i dont want to be on this medication anymore, as he suffered stomach aches and no appetite, i tried to persuade him to stay on it especially with him just learning to drive, i was worried he would not pay attention driving. he insisted going off it, i wonder if he experienced that side effect, i will never know but i figured he is an adult now and has that right to decide.
he has problems in college now, he is taking auto mechanics, he has no problem with hands on things, never has, but when it came to focusing on the biology part ( why biology for auto mechanics?) he gave up and took an F for the class, he was so ashamed that he hid the report card in the bottom of the trash, when he told me about the grade and showed me how he hid the report card, my heart just sank for him, here is brother just graduated college and his self esteem was so low, i praised him and told him how proud i was of him and honey, you have a learning disorder and that is nothing to be ashamed of so add has been a hinderance for him on career plans and his future. so i try to encourage him to do hands on things. he was in a big hurry to move out when he graduated and now he says mom can i have more time at home? i am like of course you can, i want them to live with me forever but we know that is not the right thing for them to do. anyway i have a little more time before the nest is empty, yeah! jewels
Wow.........Thanks so much for all the info, all of you.
Sammy............I am on a mission to find this book.........I love a good excuse to go to Barnes and Noble anyways. lol
Big Hugs..
Thanks again.
Sammy............I am on a mission to find this book.........I love a good excuse to go to Barnes and Noble anyways. lol
Big Hugs..
Thanks again.
Jodigirl
Just so you sweety STAY AWAY FROM ADDERAL FOR ADD.I saw first hand what that can do to not only your body but your mind & your soul
Love & Miss you sis
Love Brinagirl
Just so you sweety STAY AWAY FROM ADDERAL FOR ADD.I saw first hand what that can do to not only your body but your mind & your soul
Love & Miss you sis
Love Brinagirl