As someone with late diagnosed ADHD and two teenagers with the disorder I appreciate this! One thing though - not everyone in recovery can tolerate being put in a stimulant after getting sober. Speaking from personal experience, I was put on methylphenidate for my ADHD in the first year of sobriety - which similar to you, is when I realized what I had been dealing with for most of my life. But I quickly learned that I could achieve a high/ quick dopamine rush if I took a pill and a half. I convinced myself it was fine - since ya know, it was my script. 1.5 pills soon became 2 pills. Then I started dipping into my son’s stash. Long story short, it was not fine and I found myself on the same path I was on with my drinking - hiding, sneaking and searching for the escape. Anyway, this is just one cautionary tale from one sober person. We are all different 🙃
Absolutely, that’s a great point!I know low dose Wellbutrin can also be an alternative in this situations. But you’re absolutely right that people will respond differently. My point is just that taking it shouldn’t be stigmatized as it’s not the same thing as, for example, cocaine (which is a real argument someone made when I told them I was on adhd meds)
That’s a real danger with some these ADHD drugs that are stimulants. They are effective at low doses but give you a pleasant feeling when used at high doses and you are at risk of developing a tolerance to the drug and you have all these unpleasant side effects and even an actual addiction. These drugs are clearly fine for some people with severe ADHD but people need to be aware of the risks.
Like most medication, nothing is true for everyone. I am on what’s considered a high dose and there is no feeling associated with the drug beyond focus. I have to set a reminder or I forget to take my afternoon pill. I have virtually no side effects and it’s improved my life immeasurably. Again, that won’t be true for everyone but if you look at the research, people who are prescribed adhd drugs rarely end up misusing them. Those who misuse them are typically people who don’t have adhd and thus the drug produces a different effect.
Most of the time, I see people with ADHD or other mental health conditions using substances to self-medicate. People with ADHD often describe their minds like rush-hour traffic—lots of thoughts, impulses, and ideas all happening at once, but without the internal “traffic lights” that are supposed to regulate what moves and what stops. It’s not that the brain is too fast—it’s that the regulation system isn’t working properly.
Because of that internal overwhelm, some people turn to stimulants (amphetamine, meth, cocaine) to give their body enough activation to “keep up,” while others turn to depressants (benzos, opioids, alcohol, marijuana) to slow the mental traffic down. The problem is that unlike prescribed medications, substances don’t offer consistent or controlled dosing, so the imbalance gets worse over time and creates more problems. And while certain medications can take a couple of weeks to reach full effect—especially non-stimulant meds—street drugs don’t provide that stability. Your point about the alternative being worse is a hard truth that many people don’t want to acknowledge.
There’s also the classic “chicken or the egg” issue: Which came first? Did the mental health condition exist before substance use (leading to self-medication)? Did the symptoms appear during substance use as a result of the substance’s effects? Or did they show up afterward as long-lasting changes, substance-induced disorders, or part of ongoing PAWS? This makes assessment difficult, but it’s an important conversation for people in recovery to understand.
This is a really good post, and it’s incredibly helpful for people in recovery. Keep up the good work!
Insightful post, I feel personally that I had similar mild symptoms as a young person but I think I outgrew it. I think people need to study this disorder more because like autism the condition is really a spectrum with severe cases resulting in bad outcomes in life that need to be treated by a psychiatrist and possibly drugs. But mild cases are still problematic and people need to get real professional help and not self medicate or rely on social media for treatment advice.
Agreed! My goal was simply to illustrate the connection between adhd and substance use and destigmatize medication for those who need and are prescribed it.
A few thoughts: There are also non-stimulant medication options for adhd, longer acting scheduled meds have lower abuse potential (not zero), and behavioral adaptations can be a wonderful support for the mind struggling with adhd (how to develop organizing habits that minimize symptoms, etc). Adhd can be quite impairing, so much that it creates stress on the brain/nervous system and worsens cravings. I think a solid addiction medicine or addiction psychiatrist can help a person navigate safe choices and address attentional issues.
I am not surprised the article portrayed treatment poorly/inaccurately, the nyt is another culprit. Its an opportunity missed to educate the public properly. You pretty much covered all bases thank you!
As someone with late diagnosed ADHD and two teenagers with the disorder I appreciate this! One thing though - not everyone in recovery can tolerate being put in a stimulant after getting sober. Speaking from personal experience, I was put on methylphenidate for my ADHD in the first year of sobriety - which similar to you, is when I realized what I had been dealing with for most of my life. But I quickly learned that I could achieve a high/ quick dopamine rush if I took a pill and a half. I convinced myself it was fine - since ya know, it was my script. 1.5 pills soon became 2 pills. Then I started dipping into my son’s stash. Long story short, it was not fine and I found myself on the same path I was on with my drinking - hiding, sneaking and searching for the escape. Anyway, this is just one cautionary tale from one sober person. We are all different 🙃
Absolutely, that’s a great point!I know low dose Wellbutrin can also be an alternative in this situations. But you’re absolutely right that people will respond differently. My point is just that taking it shouldn’t be stigmatized as it’s not the same thing as, for example, cocaine (which is a real argument someone made when I told them I was on adhd meds)
That’s a real danger with some these ADHD drugs that are stimulants. They are effective at low doses but give you a pleasant feeling when used at high doses and you are at risk of developing a tolerance to the drug and you have all these unpleasant side effects and even an actual addiction. These drugs are clearly fine for some people with severe ADHD but people need to be aware of the risks.
Like most medication, nothing is true for everyone. I am on what’s considered a high dose and there is no feeling associated with the drug beyond focus. I have to set a reminder or I forget to take my afternoon pill. I have virtually no side effects and it’s improved my life immeasurably. Again, that won’t be true for everyone but if you look at the research, people who are prescribed adhd drugs rarely end up misusing them. Those who misuse them are typically people who don’t have adhd and thus the drug produces a different effect.
Most of the time, I see people with ADHD or other mental health conditions using substances to self-medicate. People with ADHD often describe their minds like rush-hour traffic—lots of thoughts, impulses, and ideas all happening at once, but without the internal “traffic lights” that are supposed to regulate what moves and what stops. It’s not that the brain is too fast—it’s that the regulation system isn’t working properly.
Because of that internal overwhelm, some people turn to stimulants (amphetamine, meth, cocaine) to give their body enough activation to “keep up,” while others turn to depressants (benzos, opioids, alcohol, marijuana) to slow the mental traffic down. The problem is that unlike prescribed medications, substances don’t offer consistent or controlled dosing, so the imbalance gets worse over time and creates more problems. And while certain medications can take a couple of weeks to reach full effect—especially non-stimulant meds—street drugs don’t provide that stability. Your point about the alternative being worse is a hard truth that many people don’t want to acknowledge.
There’s also the classic “chicken or the egg” issue: Which came first? Did the mental health condition exist before substance use (leading to self-medication)? Did the symptoms appear during substance use as a result of the substance’s effects? Or did they show up afterward as long-lasting changes, substance-induced disorders, or part of ongoing PAWS? This makes assessment difficult, but it’s an important conversation for people in recovery to understand.
This is a really good post, and it’s incredibly helpful for people in recovery. Keep up the good work!
Thank you!
Great post. I really appreciate your full development of the arguments, especially the references!
Insightful post, I feel personally that I had similar mild symptoms as a young person but I think I outgrew it. I think people need to study this disorder more because like autism the condition is really a spectrum with severe cases resulting in bad outcomes in life that need to be treated by a psychiatrist and possibly drugs. But mild cases are still problematic and people need to get real professional help and not self medicate or rely on social media for treatment advice.
Agreed! My goal was simply to illustrate the connection between adhd and substance use and destigmatize medication for those who need and are prescribed it.
A few thoughts: There are also non-stimulant medication options for adhd, longer acting scheduled meds have lower abuse potential (not zero), and behavioral adaptations can be a wonderful support for the mind struggling with adhd (how to develop organizing habits that minimize symptoms, etc). Adhd can be quite impairing, so much that it creates stress on the brain/nervous system and worsens cravings. I think a solid addiction medicine or addiction psychiatrist can help a person navigate safe choices and address attentional issues.
I am not surprised the article portrayed treatment poorly/inaccurately, the nyt is another culprit. Its an opportunity missed to educate the public properly. You pretty much covered all bases thank you!