so what's the deal with self medicating? what does it mean and how does it fit in with add/adhd'ers?

any of you who self medicate... what does/did it do for you? does it help chemically in the brain? or is it an emotional thing? how do you end up self medicating?

just wondering....

Frankfarter, Maybe I can clear this up for you. It is pretty simple really. When a person self medicates themselves, it means they are either drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, taking presciption drugs that were not prescribed for them. Self-medicating is done for all kinds of different reasons and conditions. From anxiety, to depression, to sleep, to loose weight, to gain muscle mass, for undiagnosed ADD, for PTSD, those are some of the reasons people "self-medicate" themselves. I hope this answers your question.

Frankfarter, I hope this clears up your question. People that self-medicate do it by different ways. By drinking alcohol in excess, smoking marijuana, taking prescription medication that was NOT prescibed for them. They do it for all kinds of reasons. Such as anxiety, insomnia, depression, undiagnosed ADD, PTSD, paranoia, to be social, to loose weight, to stay awake, etc. I hope that helps you understand the definition.

I would just like to add that I have used the term ‘self-medicate’ and I have heard others use it. What I mean by ’self-medicate’ is that I am on and off meds taking them only when I feel I need them. I choose when and how to take them. They may be prescribed one a day every day but this doesn’t always suit me. Sometimes one every other day suits me better. Sometimes I prefer not to take them until I feel I really need them. I don’t recommend this method, I just wanted to point out that there are other reasons for the term ‘self-medicating’ to be used other than to do with drugs and alcohol.

In addiction, self medication refers to people taking drugs (external source) due to internal brain chemistry dysfunction (focusing; emotional brain; mood; anxiety; self-soothing/self-calming attempts under stress).

e.g. opiate Addicts are often found to not have the same endocrine and settings and self-soothing circuits as "normals". Early trauma can mess up our stress (brain/body) hormones. Or, if a parent is absent/compromised, they cannot develop well in the first place. (Say, in a home where an abused or depressed Mom is [obviously] upset -- she cannot attune to her child well, or respond to his "cues" and needs, etc..)

There are often early developmental issues at play. Often r/t attachment. This is part of how addiction run in families via parenting deficits.

Even something like premature birth is a risk factor. (e.g. the baby bonds with the machines, not its mother's breathing, heartbeat, etc, when organizing it's nervous system.)

Read up on 'Harlow's Monkeys' and 'attachment disorders' in GOOGLE...

Queens U girl, you are one smart cookie. You're really up on things! (well I just googled the monkeys and although its hardly new information, but you know your stuff)

Too many years in school. :S (Wish I could get a real job with it!)

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I think there are different kinds of "self medicating".

re: ADD type self medicating
e.g. ADDers might be using things like caffeine, exercise, cold medicine, cocaine, meth, to self medicate and "focus".