ADD/ADHD and Drug Abuse

[Captain.Heroin]

I'm starting this thread because of a phenomenon that I think would be important to address in this forum, especially in TDS.

I am pretty sure I have ADD and am getting tested for it. The fundamental idea behind it is that it is inherited and that you're born with it. Because of this, people with ADD/ADHD often have concurrent mental problems which may lead them to drug abuse.

My question to you: As someone with ADD/ADHD, did you begin drug abuse as a means to self medicate?

I am almost convinced I began using heroin to make my life more interesting, and in general to make everything more interesting. People with ADD/ADHD can only easily pay attention to things that interest them, a reason why my general education is boring/fairly uncompleted compared to my major studies which are mostly completed.

While I was using heroin, everything was interesting, and I could get motivated easily for 8 continuous hours. I'm glad I quit using heroin however, but this has left me without medication for ADD/ADHD, and now I need testing to get medication.

I am interested to hear why you may or may not think you all began using drugs (any of them, uppers, downers, psychedelics, or dissociatives) as a means to self medicate for ADD/ADHD symptoms. If not please go into detail about why you began using, if you would like.

If you don't have ADD/ADHD you can answer too if you know people in your life who have ADD/ADHD and who used drugs to self medicate before getting legitimate medication, or a diagnosis. You can also chime in if you don't have ADD/ADHD, but let's keep this positive. ADD/ADHD is a real disorder, it is not something that goes away easily without medication. There are alternatives other than medication, but most people (like myself) are unable to afford them.

I'll start. I began using heroin to cope with my poor self esteem and lack of social life. I also had the best school semester I have had to date while on heroin, this is easily explained by the fact while on heroin everything is interesting, I had 0% care about having low self esteem (heroin makes you feel like a god among men), and I had a lot of friends as people love heroin (this is not a reason to start using it - please don't - I am still recovering about one and a half years later ).

After a year of heroin use I realized I had to quit, and I've been clean for 16 and 3/4 months thus far.

 

[Draigan]

Im really tired, still up since we last talked, but I will quickly add that I really believe most people do things that they find uninteresting because they know they have to. ADD people often seem to just not want to do anything that doesnt please them. Thats my experience anyway. Im ADD... according to tests and shit. I like to think it of hyper focus dissorder though. Cuz I can just focus so freaking hard on certain things if they interest me. Shit that doesnt interest me, its a lot harder to focus on, however, I can focus on it, its just hard.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Im really tired, still up since we last talked

I feel you man I only had about 2 and a half hours of napping before I got up. - one cup of coffee only helped me wake up after a brief nap at best.

but I will quickly add that I really believe most people do things that they find uninteresting because they know they have to. ADD people often seem to just not want to do anything that doesnt please them. Thats my experience anyway. Im ADD... according to tests and shit. I like to think it of hyper focus dissorder though. Cuz I can just focus so freaking hard on certain things if they interest me. Shit that doesnt interest me, its a lot harder to focus on, however, I can focus on it, its just hard.

That makes a lot of sense Draigan!

Do you think you started using (any if not all drugs) because you are ADD - because you want to do things that please you? That's somewhat the topic of discussion. If you don't think so then explaining more about that would be interesting indeed!

I know what you mean though, however even when things are pleasing I still don't have 100% focus/control. I still dissociate a lot and I think I always have had that problem.

There are different "types" of ADD/ADHD though.

Did you ever get on medication for ADD? Did it help, or do you manage better without it?

 

[morphonorconic]

I was diagnosed with ADD, yet I don't have even the slightest difficulty concentrating. Even if I must perform an undesirable task at the drop of a dime, I can do it without any problems. Occasionally I won't feel like doing something that needs to be done, but this is perfectly normal. If one comes to expect that they will not be able to exert necessary concentration and focus, they won't be able to do so.

I do not have any doubts that others suffer from inablility to focus on whatever task is at hand, and that for some this condition may indeed be debilitating, and degrade their quality of life. But what about me? Was I mis-diagnosed? Did I simply grow out of it? Makes me wonder...

 

[blahman8000]

First of all, I want to thank Captain.Heroin for putting this topic out there. I've always suspected a link between ADD/ADHD and substance abuse, and it's nice to see somebody else pointing it out.

I was diagnosed ADHD "inattentive subtype" when I was 17, and now with my new doc I am called ADHD "combined subtype" (both inattentive and impulsive/hyperactive symptoms). In my opinion, this type of wiring of the brain predisposes one to seek stimulation in ways that aren't offered to them from their environment (to their satisfaction). Also, subconsciously, a person who has ADD/ADHD might try to manage their symptoms by abusing drugs/alcohol, without even realizing what they're ultimately trying to do.

Personally, I don't think that it would be right to blame my tendencies of substance abuse on ADHD. I will say that ever since my first hit of pot, I've been chasing all varieties of drug stimulation; always overdoing it. Even before that, I was always one to act out and try to make something more interesting when I've found it boring, which may account for a lot of my negative behavior in middle school. Regarding drugs, I've always been the one to be impulsive and careless about my use; going overboard, binging, getting fucked up all night, disregarding my health/safety, etc.

I have gone overboard with almost every substance that I've had the exposure to. It's probably true that ADHD plays a role in that. Aside from that, I can also be a fairly irresponsible person. I am not the type to scapegoat my biological composition, and claim that, "It isn't my fault, I have a disorder!" I consider these "attention deficits" to simply be a variation of the wiring of the human brain, rather than the disadvantage as they are commonly perceived as. However, I do think that there's some truth to the idea that ADD/ADHD may predispose some to substance abuse more than others. By nature, those who have ADD/ADHD are often bored with their immediate surroundings and/or objectives, especially when they are assigned to them by someone else. Hence, distractibility. With this in mind, it's easy to picture such a person trying to fill that "gap" with something more interesting and accessible.

With all that said, I want to clarify that a lot of this is not entirely due to ADHD. A person with attention deficits is not necessarily irresponsible or linked to drug use. But, for me, the way that ADHD links with my personality can often make an iffy combination.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

First of all, I want to thank Captain.Heroin for putting this topic out there. I've always suspected a link between ADD/ADHD and substance abuse, and it's nice to see somebody else pointing it out.

I was diagnosed ADHD "inattentive subtype" when I was 17, and now with my new doc I am called ADHD "combined subtype" (both inattentive and impulsive/hyperactive symptoms). In my opinion, this type of wiring of the brain predisposes one to seek stimulation in ways that aren't offered to them from their environment (to their satisfaction). Also, subconsciously, a person who has ADD/ADHD might try to manage their symptoms by abusing drugs/alcohol, without even realizing what they're ultimately trying to do.

Personally, I don't think that it would be right to blame my tendencies of substance abuse on ADHD. I will say that ever since my first hit of pot, I've been chasing all varieties of drug stimulation; always overdoing it. Even before that, I was always one to act out and try to make something more interesting when I find it boring, which accounts for a lot of my negative behavior in middle school. Regarding drugs, I've always been the one to be impulsive and careless about my use; going overboard, binging, getting fucked up all night, disregarding my health/safety, etc.

I have gone overboard with almost every substance that I've had the exposure to. It's probably true that ADHD plays a role in that. Aside from that, I can also be a fairly irresponsible person. I am not the type to scapegoat my biological composition, and claim that, "It isn't my fault, I have a disorder!" I consider these "attention deficits" to simply be a variation of the wiring of the human brain, rather than the disadvantage as they are commonly perceived as. However, I do think that there's some truth to the idea that ADD/ADHD may predispose some to substance abuse more than others. By nature, those who have ADD/ADHD are often bored with their immediate surroundings and/or objectives, especially when they are assigned to them by someone else. Hence, distractibility. With this in mind, it's easy to picture such a person trying to fill that "gap" with something more interesting and accessible.

With all that said, I want to clarify that a lot of this is not entirely due to ADHD. A person with attention deficits is not necessarily irresponsible or linked to drug use. But, for me, the way that ADHD links with my personality can often make an iffy combination.

Thanks for your contribution! That helps shed light on the connection for me. I do think that it's a multi faceted reason why a lot of people use drugs, and ADD or ADHD is probably only one of them. I really am interested in the connection though and would like to learn more about it.

I think it's clear I used heroin to self medicate ADD/ADHD symptoms (which became worse when withdrawing from opiates - obviously - which is why I strongly urge people not to try using heroin), so I'd like to hear from other people, whether they think there's a connection or not.

 

[Disowned]

i was diagnosed ADHD when i was like 7 years old. i dont feel like i medicate with drugs/alcohol because of my "disorder", because i dont even really view it as a disorder. i guess its a disorder because it hinders my ability to do shit that i dont see as absolutely necessary or fun, but if im genuinely interested in something, it can hold my attention for hours.

school has never interested me, nothing i liked except cutting class and interacting with friends. i still graduated on time, with a diploma by doing the bare minimum, because i felt that it was at least necessary to do that, if i wasn't going to give it my all(which i refused).

i have been put on medication a few times, but i never liked how it made me feel, amphetamines suck, and i never felt like they helped me do any better, except when it was cram time, but not in an overall attention span improving way, just speedy.

i do think i use/abuse drugs/alcohol for other reasons like socializing, and when im depressed. i have found out recently that depression and anxiety are co-morbid with ADD and ADHD people, so there could be a tie between all that as i do have lingering(not severe) depression and anxiety issues. i have never really thought about it before right now, that maybe thats why i feel these ways, because i have always put the concept of myself being ADHD on the back burner, and out of mind.

on a side note i feel my post jumps around a bit, maybe that's my ADHD, but thats my story.

 

[morphonorconic]

I didn't really contribute toward your intended topic of discussion, CH, so I thought I would add another post.

As far as my ADD and self medicating are concerned: When I was put on Adderall at the age of 14, I remember thinking to myself (one of the first days of being on the medication) "Wow, I feel pretty good!" I didn't know what Adderall was; I thought it to be just another psychiatric medication pushed by my psychiatrist, such as Prozac and the like. It didn't take long for me to learn that what I was taking was one of the very drugs (Amphetamine) which they were teaching us about in P.E. drug education; teaching us that it was a common and highly abusable drug, due to the euphoria and such it produces.

I had already been smoking pot, and this revelation undoubtedly sparked an interest within me. How could I not think to myself "If Adderall, Amphetamine, made me feel good, and smoking weed is fun as hell, what else is out there? What effects will I get from other drugs?"

Our parents medicate us for everything, and then wonder why we develop substance addictions later on in life. I am not by any means placing blame for my drug use/abuse on my parents or anyone other than myself. I am however expressing the increased fascination, so to speak, that I exhibited after my stint on Adderall.

In my mind, it's a lot like giving a kid candy who has never had candy, and has always been taught that candy is bad. The kid will inevitably like the candy, and become curious as to what else is out there. Perhaps not the best metaphor, but just to make a point. With the exception of 1.5 years of sobriety, I have continuously self medicated in one way or another, since the age of fourteen.

 

[totach]

to me honestly it doesnt really make sense to me this whole add/adhd thing i think it is misdiagnosed way to much all you gotta do is go to a doc tell him you're having trouble focusing on a certain subject in school and walla doc says you have add here is you're adderal script i think its just that you really just do not find certain things intresting and obviously it will be alot harder to concentrate or learn something that is not intresting to you it does not mean you have add or adhd just my opnion guys

 

[totach]

i personally believe i have a learning disorder because my father has dyslexia and i always had trouble staying in a book for more then 5 minutes through out my high school life but i still would never consider getting on adderal or something because of that i really believe all those drugs are over prescribed

 

[Disowned]

yea totach, i dont know how much i buy into the whole add/adhd thing either, i really think for the most part, kids are just kids and honestly how many kids like school and wanna sit still for 8 hours a day to learn? not i, and not most kids i'd like to believe.

 

[Wizzle]

I recently went to drug counseling and one of the first things they did was a preliminary test for ADHD (they call ADD ADHD-PI now). It could be I have it since I really suck at concentrating and can get pretty restless.. To be honest I hope I have it because then I could be treated... It's a fucking shame how I fuck up my college education because I just can't do assignments (while I usually ace tests).

I didn't really self-medicate though. That was more due to depression.

 

[Winding Vines]

My question to you: As someone with ADD/ADHD, did you begin drug abuse as a means to self medicate?

Absolutely yes. I was a pre-me, had high lead levels as a toddler, super creative with no outlet, and extreme social anxiety because of being picked on in school for my chubbiness found AMAZING benefits to cannabis.

At age 13, Cannabis allowed me a means to write creatively, with focus. I was able to read PAGES without stopping. I began enjoying classical music and explored painting too. My school system was for the type A personality, which I did not fit into.

Moving to high school, I experimented with Benzodiazepines, LSD, Mushrooms, and Stimulants.

I found sanity with the Benzo's at home, my family was abusive. I opened my mind to spirituality and faith with psychedelics, and could do my math/chemistry homework perfectly with stimulants.

-----

My feelings are, society in ways forgets about the dreamy, artsy, philosophical types that REALLY need a gentle hand of structure to help mold good behaviors and habits. Like one on one, considerate/kind attention for the individual.

Looking back, I really needed that extra help, now as a young adult, I struggle trying to figure it out on my own.

 

[Damien]

I often find it difficult to concentrate on things that I'm interested in. I sometimes ask a question and then just not even pay attention to the answer and I have no clue why. I just come to from whatever thought that popped into my head and I have to say "Wait, I'm sorry. What did you say?" It has been the cause of a few fights between me and my wife. Heh, and this is when I'm not using drugs.

I never started using drugs to medicate anything except for my boredom. It was fun, new and exciting. After a while though the pot was just doing a lot more harm than good. I can't be sure but I think I was smoking a lot of indicas around that time.

After time I did pick up using cannabis again; this time in the midst of the CA MMJ culture. I now knew what I was ingesting and started smoking sativa dominate cannabis. I found I was experiencing a different high than I was used to "back in the day". One thing I found to be kind of strange was how I was enjoying the edginess of the experience, that back in the day would've developed into fear or paranoia. Today I'm able to take that fear and use it constructively. I'm more able to think of the consequences of not getting something done and that fear kicks in and I'm motivated. Before the thoughts of consequences would've come up but eventually just get lost in the mix till they became irrelevant. This is just one of a few ways that cannabis helps with my ADHD symptoms.

I don't think cannabis is necessarily a wonder drug though, and it's definitely not not for everyone. I (try to) use cannabis in corporation with traditional ADHD coping skills such as keeping calendars, day planners, lists, scheduled reward breaks, etc to maximize the cannabis' effectiveness.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

I am almost convinced I began using heroin to make my life more interesting, and in general to make everything more interesting. People with ADD/ADHD can only easily pay attention to things that interest them, a reason why my general education is boring/fairly uncompleted compared to my major studies which are mostly completed.

This is a common misperception about the diagnostic criteria. If someone is only unable to focus on things they find disinteresting, this is not ADD/ADHD.

from the diagnostic critieria:

...

III. Some impairment from the signs is present in two or more settings (such as at school/work and at home).

IV. There must be clear evidence of significant impairment in social, school, or work functioning.

The "two or more settings" is the essential differentiation here. I have read about this and discussed it with mental health professionals and this means that people who truly have ADD/ADHD struggle to focus on BOTH things they find disinteresting as well as things they are more interested in.

If you used drugs like heroin to "make things more interesting" it sounds much more like anhedonia/depression than inability to focus.

 

[renee82]

No i was doing drugs before i got diagnosed. When i went to the dr. to get checked out i remembered during one of my drug binges(take whatever drug i could find) i had taken some adderall. I rememberd how it made me focus and how i could complete task. I now take Adderall leagally. I hate taking it though. I only take it if i have too.
I also started using heroin, but i dont think it was because i could not focus or bored.
Then again i've been using drugs(everything besides weed) since i was 17. I started using drugs because it was fun. Then heroin came along that a whole other thread.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

As far as my ADD and self medicating are concerned: When I was put on Adderall at the age of 14, I remember thinking to myself (one of the first days of being on the medication) "Wow, I feel pretty good!" I didn't know what Adderall was; I thought it to be just another psychiatric medication pushed by my psychiatrist, such as Prozac and the like. It didn't take long for me to learn that what I was taking was one of the very drugs (Amphetamine) which they were teaching us about in P.E. drug education; teaching us that it was a common and highly abusable drug, due to the euphoria and such it produces.

I had already been smoking pot, and this revelation undoubtedly sparked an interest within me. How could I not think to myself "If Adderall, Amphetamine, made me feel good, and smoking weed is fun as hell, what else is out there? What effects will I get from other drugs?"

Our parents medicate us for everything, and then wonder why we develop substance addictions later on in life. I am not by any means placing blame for my drug use/abuse on my parents or anyone other than myself. I am however expressing the increased fascination, so to speak, that I exhibited after my stint on Adderall.

In my mind, it's a lot like giving a kid candy who has never had candy, and has always been taught that candy is bad. The kid will inevitably like the candy, and become curious as to what else is out there. Perhaps not the best metaphor, but just to make a point. With the exception of 1.5 years of sobriety, I have continuously self medicated in one way or another, since the age of fourteen.

Thanks for the contribution, this makes a lot of sense. Do you think you don't have ADD/ADHD, or do you think they started you on medicine too early?

Thanks for the contributions I appreciate it! I'd also like to discuss ADD/ADHD and drugs in general too.

I recently went to drug counseling and one of the first things they did was a preliminary test for ADHD (they call ADD ADHD-PI now). It could be I have it since I really suck at concentrating and can get pretty restless.. To be honest I hope I have it because then I could be treated... It's a fucking shame how I fuck up my college education because I just can't do assignments (while I usually ace tests).

I didn't really self-medicate though. That was more due to depression.

Thanks for your contribution Wizzle! Have you thought maybe you're depressed from being ADD/ADHD? Depression is a lot easier to notice within ones self compared to ADD/ADHD.

I agree with you though man, it is frustrating how you can do well in one area of college but not another. Don't get down on yourself man, if you get diagnosed, you should do better with treatment. Best of luck.

Absolutely yes. I was a pre-me, had high lead levels as a toddler, super creative with no outlet, and extreme social anxiety because of being picked on in school for my chubbiness found AMAZING benefits to cannabis.

At age 13, Cannabis allowed me a means to write creatively, with focus. I was able to read PAGES without stopping. I began enjoying classical music and explored painting too. My school system was for the type A personality, which I did not fit into.

Moving to high school, I experimented with Benzodiazepines, LSD, Mushrooms, and Stimulants.

I found sanity with the Benzo's at home, my family was abusive. I opened my mind to spirituality and faith with psychedelics, and could do my math/chemistry homework perfectly with stimulants.

-----

My feelings are, society in ways forgets about the dreamy, artsy, philosophical types that REALLY need a gentle hand of structure to help mold good behaviors and habits. Like one on one, considerate/kind attention for the individual.

Looking back, I really needed that extra help, now as a young adult, I struggle trying to figure it out on my own.

Best of luck WV! Thank you for your contributions.

The "two or more settings" is the essential differentiation here. I have read about this and discussed it with mental health professionals and this means that people who truly have ADD/ADHD struggle to focus on BOTH things they find disinteresting as well as things they are more interested in.

That makes sense too. I can believe that.

If you used drugs like heroin to "make things more interesting" it sounds much more like anhedonia/depression than inability to focus.

I don't really agree with that, all my classes were more interesting and I did much better in all of them. Heroin gave me a lot of optimism, I'm normally a very pessimistic person. That's not depression but categorize it as you will.

 

[unsettled]

This is really interesting, I've suspected I've had ADD for quite some time, and I do believe that I started doing drugs to self medicate this. I really do have a near impossible time paying attention to things that don't fascinate me, but because of this I was never diagnosed as a child cause I was always really good at drawing, writing, music...anything I was fascinated by.

About two years ago I discovered Adderall and immediately loved it because for the first time in my life I was able to do all the things I NEEDED to do without feeling depressed and lethargic about it. Normally I would just ignore things that I had to do that I didn't want to until the last minute. Anyway, I started to go overboard with the Addies and had to quit.

The last few years I've been having a horrible time with depression and anxiety issues and I'm currently prescribed benzos and I self medicate with opiates for the depression. This makes life bearable at the moment.

I don't know if this is relevant or not, but I started using weed everyday from when I was fifteen until my late twenties. In my late teens I experimented with all kinds of drugs, but pretty much stuck with weed. In me early twenties I was playing in bars every night and became a huge drinker without even realizing it, it is such a part of the life style. The drinking continued until just recently. I was on wellbutrin and xanax for a while and quit drinking at this time. I'm no longer on the wellbutrin due to adverse side effects and that's when the opiates became a daily thing. They kind of replaced alcohol, are kinder on my body and are easier to function on, as long as I don't run out....which is of course the problem. I'm supposed to see a psychiatrist about all this in a couple weeks.

The interesting part is I was in an accident a few months ago and when I was evaluated by the ER doc he recommended that I get tested for ADD because he said I had all the personality characteristics of an ADD person. I've always over focused on things I love and get by because I'm good at those things, but I'm horrible with things like planning, money, organizing, etc...I'm always in a day dream. I brought this up with my GP the other day and he agreed and now I'm supposed to be getting tested for ADD by the head ADD doc in my area. I'm 31 now and all these pieces are just now coming together.

Good post. Extremely relevant to my current situation. I totally feel like I need to be hyper stimulated in some way to feel alive, it makes sense that I've turned to drugs and music and other things that keep me always on the edge in some way, it's the only way I seem to be able to function.

 

[scream]

CH DON'T get on amp type stims. I'm no Doc but You seem like a smart cookie by your posts and not disorganised, I did in 2004 by a top psych who bought up ADD/HD, and gave me 20mg of MPD, 6 years now and 6x the dose later

He never told me this thou:

Methylphenidate produces d-amphetamine and cocaine-like reinforcing effects in both humans and non-human animals. Preclinical self-administration studies show that methylphenidate is self-administered by animals30 under a variety of conditions, including when substituted for cocaine or d-amphetamine in drug-experienced animals or when initiated in drug-naïve animals. Methylphenidate has reinforcing efficacy similar to cocaine and d-amphetamine. In non-human primates, methylphenidate can maintain high rates of self-injection in progressive ratio studies and is chosen over cocaine in preference studies. In clinical studies methylphenidate is self-administered by humans and produces patterns of reinforcing and subjective effects similar to d-amphetamine. Methylphenidate and d-amphetamine produces similar patterns of subjective effects, including increases in rating of euphoria, drug liking and activity and decreases in sedation.

 

[nervousone]

I'm of the school of thought that speed makes shit more interesting in general, for pretty much everyone.

Of course you are going to focus more on amps, that is what they do.