how does alcohol affect those with ADD?

[madgirl]

how about marijuana? does it make the symptoms worse? or better?

.................................

anyone give me some info on this? thanks.

[Wheel1975]

self medication and drug abuse is just that, regardless of the politics involved.

[joanrdtobe]

And if you're on meds with the marijuana -- well would not recommend....

[elSenor]

Drugs and alcohol, both the same! They make pea soup out of your brain!

And now for your regularly scheduled programming...

[waywardclam]

Dr. Amen says that many people with ADD take alcohol, marijuana, caffeine, or other drugs in a subconscious attempt to self medicate... in the short term, they can provide a needed stimulation effect, but in the long term they give you health problems, addictions, and tend to worsen ADD symptoms overall as they damage your brain.

[tudorose]

From what I have read, Marajuana negates the effects of stimulants. I've never tried it so I don't know if this is the case but it makes sense.

I've never done any of that stuff coz I know that I have an addictive personality and for me this kind of thing is best avoided.

[Sc@tterBr@in_UK]

Not been diagnosed yet, but while I don't get "drunk" too quickly (as in falling over etc.) as I do have a relatively high tolerance level for alcohol, my cognitive abilities and memory definitely get a lot worse a lot quicker than other peoples' when I have a few drinks. It only takes 2 or 3 beers to make me unable to remember much of the previous night, although outwardly I'm not drunk/loud or wobbly from a couple of drinks.

Alcohol is often used to self-medicate anxiety and panic (in most cases it relaxes you, and makes you worry less), which are common among people with ADD. So the self-medication with alcohol (unlike, say, stimulants like coke or amphetamines) isn't because it improves your cognitive abilities, but because it "helps" with anxiety.

The same presumably goes for marijuana (sp?), i.e. it makes you more forgetful etc. but it also relaxes you, maybe in hyperactive ADDers it even calms them (wouldn't know), so even though it makes them appear more sluggish and "stupid" they still self-medicate with it because it makes them more relaxed and worry less. (Personally, it has no real effect on me apart from the occasional panic attack - I grew up in Switzerland where it used to be available in shops, although the legal status was disputed - when I was still with my ex I sometimes smoked it but the nicotine was the only thing I really noticed)

[Psilokan]

Alcohol kills my inhibitions. Suddenly I talk excessively, and would approach anyone. Alcohol seems to make me the opposite as I am sobre.

Marijuana seems to make my ADD like 10x worse. I often describe ADD as being stoned 24/7. I've gone thru periods of heady smoking, and I swear I would manage nothing during that time.

But yet if I limit myself to just blazing a bowl before bed, it does me a lot of good. It helps me sleep. It brings out OCD attributes, I just randomly clean or do homework while high. So sometimes getting high does me good, other times it doesnt. Just dont smoke too much.

[Gregster]

I have a bit of a problem with Marijuana, and I would probably call myself an addict - at the present time. I even went for treatment for it once, which might have been a bit much for a simple pot problem, but was a great learning experience.
Most substance abuse stems from low self-esteem - something ADDer's often don't have a lot of. I know in my case I never used drugs until after my father died 11years ago. I did not get a lot of positive re-inforcement from teachers (who thought I was lazy) or from my mother, who as an ex-teacher found it necessary to correct every mistake I ever made, but I did get it from my father - and he was my only source. When he died (suddenly at 57 from a stroke) I lost the only source of encouragement I ever had, and my life took a downward turn. I have smoke grass ever since, in varying amounts and frequency. I am not terribly worried about this habit however, it's fairly harmless, and I know I will quit some day. If I have an addiction that is going to kill me, it will be my addiction to food!
Greg

[why]

I find that alcohol has about the same effect on me as it does on anyone else - mild euphoria, followed by lack of inhibition (reckless drunkeness) followed by sleep.

Marijuana on the other hand has a very pleasing effect on me. I find that by imbibing small quantities it gives me relief from my OCD traits and allows me to enjoy life a little more. I find that I am more inclined to let go some of my long held paranoias (they do return when I'm sober but usually I can remember my mind state when high and they are aliviated somewhat by those memories). The euphoria from injesting marijauna fills me something akin to Joie de Vivre (joy of life) and a highly positive attitude, which contrasts with my prevalent position of cautious pessimism when sober. This momentary feeling of "positivism" carries through into sobriety for the next few days and gives me "mental goal posts" for which to aim.

Now, this is highly subjective and non-scientific and your milage may vary. For me marijuana has been a very effective medication in it's ability to provide me with a glimpse of an alternate life perspective (positivism) - that in itself allows me to set aside my hard-coded notions of reality and attempt to see things from different perspectives. Incorporating these perspectives into my decision making matrix has allowed me to make choices that have allowed much lee-way for my world-view to be wrong - hedging my bets, so to speak. I realize that it's ironic that what I'm saying here is that it has caused me to be more "cautious" in my sober life, but from the perspective of someone who's ADD/OCD that caution has meant - to force myself to take more chances (socially, professionally, etc) - whereas I would normally be costrained to a very narrow set of behaviours. This caution means to try and be less ADD/OCD even if it's very unnatural for me to be so. This effect lasts as long as my memories of my intoxicated mind state exist and when they are gone all I have left are the principles on which this concept was built and it still has some positive effect - but since I enjoy using marijuana I use it when I feel the need for an evening of relaxation or that my OCD has become very pervasive. This means that I smoke a small joint about once every two weeks - a quarter ounce of pot ($70 Canadian) lasts me about six months.

These are my personal experiences with marijuana. They are not held to any metrics or empirical judgement and my assesment is purely experiential. All of this may very well be an elaborate excuse to break the law and engage in long term hedonistsic behaviour. That being said - since I reached this philosophical position on pot my life has continuously improved on all fronts and though I am not fool enough to attribute these successes to pot I can't help but feel that it has made a contribution.

I have attempted to be honest with you all about my experience. Please keep in mind that this is an illegal substance with great potential for an unhappy ending - I am aware of this risk and take considerable caution with it (this post - an exception). I have a loving spouse who is also aware of the situation and is prepared to step in if it turns out that I am no longer in control and detrimental effects are becoming evident (a watchguard, I guess). However, there may be detrimental effects that are unseen and I will suffer them anyways.

[Ian]

I quit drinking in the spring of 1990. I tend to over do things.. Grass makes me so hyper I can't stand it anymore. My heart rate goes through the roof.

I have been slowly cleaning out my system. I've beaten the alcohol, tobacco, lots of the sugar and a general problem over eating.

Lately I've been modifying my diet to help level out my emotional life. I dropped a lot of the bread, rice and potatoes. This was a simple thing to do
and was combined with eating more lean protein to compensate. I like the results. I have a flatter emotional curve. I'm less likely to react hotly. And I've lost 16 pounds of middle aged paunch in the process. ehh

This idea first struck me working with my horse. I feed her oats because this is a fuel without a lot of calories per pound. When I feed her barley she's quite a handful because barley is a hotter fuel with more calories per pound. Many others were there before me on this..

I think alcohol is a pretty hot fuel.. I know I could process alcohol like nobody's business. I always thought it might be because I had lots of insulin to make use of sugars.. but I may have my head up my butt on this.. pure and unfiltered conjecture. Wheel.. time to slap me! < g >

My recent trials with Dexedrine are the first steps to introduce drugs willingly in a long time.

The Dexedrine seems to help with many aspects I am having trouble with but I have achieved similar results with a good coach.

I don't believe Grass and Alcohol would add anything positive to my progress. I don't need any more distractions. < g > My goals are quite clear and they don't include much "escape", except for some books.. Being aware of what I'm doing when I'm doing it seems to be important.

I don't know that I can describe the urgency I feel in regards to making some strong headway regarding my ADHD symptoms but I know that both alcohol, grass and it's derivatives provide me with a step backward. I'm not opposed to their use and have smoked a bit of grass in the past year. Moderation is likely the key to not loosing your way.. but moderation in anything is a learnt skill for me and I'm still practising.

Drugs and alcohol did for me what I could not do for myself. Namely join the rest of the human race in living with the realities of life as it is.. straight up. I could not live comfortably without it. This has meant having to grow up and learn something about humility, compassion and empathy and loving people in spite of their weaknesses. A dozen years ago I could not have told you anything about those words in action. These are the fundamentals of my hope for progress. I have a young 10 year old that is going to need me to be as healthy as I can be when she goes through her teen years.

She will require patience, understanding and lots of Love demonstrated when she is her least lovable. She is just like her Papa... These are adult actions.. but they are learnt skills for me.. I default to "juvenile" in the worst way.

Many people relax when smoking dope. I'm not one of them. < vbg >

Cheers! Ian.

[why]

Originally posted by itschaotic
...Drugs and alcohol did for me what I could not do for myself. Namely join the rest of the human race in living with the realities of life as it is.. straight up. I could not live comfortably without it. This has meant having to grow up and learn something about humility, compassion and empathy and loving people in spite of their weaknesses. A dozen years ago I could not have told you anything about those words in action. These are the fundamentals of my hope for progress...

Cheers! Ian.

Could you elaborate, because I am unsure of how to read this, especially the part about "Namely join the rest of the human race in living with the realities of life as it is.. straight up." As you can read from my post, this is the effect that I find particularly helpfull in my attempts to overcome my ADD/OCD symptoms. By allowing me to see reality from an alternate perspective I am able to modify my reactions to my environs to be less ADD/OCD, which is my natural state.

Cheers.

[biker]

I have smoked pot before ,but very little so I cannot tell how it affected me. I do drink alcohol. It does slow my brain down, but does nothing to improve memory or distractions. I like a drink after work. It slows me down. Caffine and exercise really helped before I started on meds. Excercise still really clears my brain.
Jim

[Ian]

gymsocks I find exercise to be one powerfully positive force but getting to doing it is brutal! I'm in great need of some cardio to help clear the fog. Maybe going with the dog would inspire.. hmmm It's sunny with no wind.. about minus 2 C.. what excuse is there! grrr

I may in fact begin to do some trials with alcohol to slow down. This is a scary thought.. for me and for my family though.

why - I was not very clear you are right. When I was high or drinking I felt more "ok" than when I wasn't. This led to problems as I had a lot to learn about living comfortably without the escape to an altered state. In my case I had some serious growing up to do.

If I was to rephrase this comment:

"...Drugs and alcohol did for me what I could not do for myself. Namely join the rest of the human race in living with the realities of life as it is.. straight up. I could not live comfortably without it. This has meant having to grow up and learn something about humility, compassion and empathy and loving people in spite of their weaknesses. A dozen years ago I could not have told you anything about those words in action. These are the fundamentals of my hope for progress...

I would try to clarify it with:

"..Drugs and alcohol did for me what I could not do for myself. When I got clean and sober I was forced into my role with the rest of the human race in living with the realities of life as it is.. straight up. I could not live comfortably without it. This has meant having to grow up and learn something about humility, compassion and empathy and loving people in spite of their weaknesses. A dozen years ago I could not have told you anything about those words in action. These are the fundamentals of my hope for progress..."

How's that? I hope it makes more sense for us this way.

why - You have to look for what works for you. I'm just trying to share what works for me in hopes that I might learn something through postings like yours and others. If I don't post and share details then I never have the peer review and access to the wisdom of my mentors. So I risk it in hopes of finding a better way.

Cheers! Ian.

[clueless]

Marijuana in very small doses (one to two tokes) = best high possible. I'm relaxed, functional, creative and funny.

Marijuana in moderate doses (two to six tokes) = worsening of ADD symptoms. Suddenly I cannot follow a conversation and everything I say is incredibly random, and people can tell just by looking at me that I am as high as a kite.

In really high doses, I get derealization, depersonalization and paranoia, not to mention crippling self-doubt. And I HATE it-- it's very unpleasant.

Alcohol just makes me talkative and relaxed. Sometimes I get more impulsive and do and say whatever comes to mind, but usually this doesn't cause a problem. Those few times it does, though-- man, then I'm in trouble.

Stimulants do nothing but make me normal. Opiates (painkillers and the like) just make me chill.

I'm completely sober now, though.