Drugs, Alcohol and ADD

July 15th, 2007 · No Comments

Drug and alcohol abuse are very common among teenagers and adults with untreated ADD ([tag]Attention Deficit Disorder[/tag]). One study by psychiatrist Joseph Biederman and his colleagues at Harvard University indicated that 52 percent of untreated ADD adults abuse drugs or alcohol.

The drugs that they choose to abuse are alcohol and marijuana to settle the internal restlessness they feel, and cocaine and methaphetamines to feel more energetic and focused. Nicotine use (cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco) is much more common in people with ADD, as is the intake of large amounts of caffeine. Nicotine and caffeine are mild stimulants.

Peaple with ADD rarely abuse heroin, other opiates, painkillers, or tranquilizers, such as Valium. They are generally not stimulating enough to be of much benefit.

Many people with [tag]ADD[/tag] [tag]self-medicate[/tag] (treat their underlying problems) with substances as a way to feel more focused, more together, less anxious, less depressed, less overwhelmed, and just generally better.

Despite the advantages, substance abuse is always bad medicine. Rather than helping, substance abuse makes the ADD symptoms much worse over time.

Brain-imaging work has taught us just how harmful drug abuse is to brain function. Cocaine, methamphetamines, alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, and caffeine decrease brain activity over time, sometimes significantly. When an ADD teen uses alcohol or drugs to settle the internal restlessness they feel, they are just applying a bandage to a wound that will only fester.

The above information was taken from the book by Dr. Daniel Amen, Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD.

If you have a child that is ADD, be especially alert to them using alcohol and street drugs such as marijuana to self medicate. Remember that about half of ADD adults abuse drugs and alcohol.