Living with ADHD in a world built for neurotypicals (people with the most common brains) is like trying to follow an IKEA assembly manual for our Hot Wheels race car track pieces. No matter how much tape is at our disposal, those little Swedish illustrations elude us. We could toss this rocket launcher and buy crappy plastic pins. Or we could toss the manual and write our own.
In part one I explored the challenges ADHDers in recovery from substance abuse face and shared my opinions on how we in the healthcare field can address them. But why is it so common for those with ADHD to struggle with substance abuse in the first place? Here are some theories.
Why I Support Stimulants as First Line Treatment for ADHDers in Recovery
A compilation of the ADHD fun facts I posted on social for October, ADHD Awareness month.
“Guess what, I have flaws. What are they? Oh I don’t know. I sing in the shower. Sometimes I spend too much time volunteering. Occasionally I’ll hit somebody with my car. So sue me.”
Almost 100% of people with ADHD suffer from rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD), yet very few people have found the words to accurately describe it.
When I was a kid, I avoided jeans as much as I could – but growing up in the 90’s, denim was difficult to dodge. So I compromised with my mom by ONLY wearing jeans if I could tuck my shirt completely into the waist. (Whatever you are picturing right now is accurate.)
Do you ever feel like you – just, feel more than other people? Has anyone ever described you as…dramatic? Oversensitive? Colorful? Moody? Irritable? Expressive? Were you prone to meltdowns as a kid? Are you perhaps still a little prone to meltdowns?
I’d like to remind neurotypicals of something extremely important. It is not up to you what ADHD, or neurodivergence, means.
Let’s start by tossing out the misconception that ADHD is a result of poor parenting, inferior willpower, lack of discipline, or the public school system. Done? Is it gone? Did you take that trash to the curb? Great. Let’s ride.
For ADHD Awareness Month in October, I posted one fun fact a day on Facebook about what it is like to live with ADHD. And people seemed to dig it? So I thought starting a blog to compile those fun facts, and maybe give people a platform to ask questions and share what they have learned, would be a nice idea.
