So What Is the Connection Between Addictions and Attention Deficit Disorder?

The case is becoming overwhelmingly strong that there is an inherited, physical cause of ADHD and that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a failure in the system of the brain that fine-tunes attention. Chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters carry messages from one brain cell to another. The availability and balance of neurotransmitters strongly influences our behavior and feelings of well-being. It was a major breakthrough when scientists discovered that the production and utilization of these neurotransmitters are controlled by our genes.

ADHD has three main hallmarks: extreme distractibility, an almost reckless impulsiveness, and — in some cases but not all — a knee-jerking, toe-tapping hyperactivity that makes sitting still all but impossible…these are the obvious external symptoms that others can see. However, the unobservable, internal symptoms may be the most powerful and may even be the force behind the observable symptoms. Some of these symptoms include:

1. Associated Conditions
There are a number of conditions that often coexist with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Some of these conditions may result from ADHD; others may be part of ADHD or due to the same genetic disorder. But they are all conditions that have been directly linked with it. A substantial proportion of people with ADHD also have learning disorders, conduct disorder, antisocial personality disorder, or Tourette Syndrome.

2. Self-Defeating Reactions to ADHD
Most people with ADHD - feeling threatened and always at risk find ways to cope, often before they can put a name to their problems. They develop defensive, and often self-defeating actions that allow them to "get by". Some people cope with ADHD by failing to try, seeking to avoid the pain of failure. Some make an art of deliberately underachieving in order to avoid competing and taking the chance of losing. Others take on the role of clown to draw attention away from their failures. There can be an "I don't care" attitude while others accept the label of "bad",living up to the role ascribed to them already. Fear of exposing the defects associated with their ADHD drives sufferers to drop out of school early and find jobs in which their defects are less obvious. Thus there is a secret shame and dissatisfaction of living below their potential...in order to survive they learn to live in safe mediocrity.

3. Effects on the Family
In the past it was believed that poor parenting and dysfunctional family interactions were somehow responsible for the symptoms of ADHD. This creates a stigma for the family that increases feelings of inadequacy and reduces the family's ability to cope and to build a healthy family system. ADHD is not caused by poor parenting. It is the biological symptoms of ADHD that lead to confused parenting and dysfunctional families. Understanding this not only improves the way the family views itself but increases its courage to find solutions.

4. Stigma, Shame, and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
The ongoing relentless bombardment of augmented stimuli by people with ADHD results in impulsive and defensive reactions. Judged by their behaviors, ADHD people are misunderstood, condemned, and sometimes rejected. Is it surprising then, that a person with ADHD is plagued by low self esteem? Very early in life they develop a deep inner shame, not a shame of what they do but a shame of what they believe they are - defective. Feeling socially unacceptable, they seek friendship with other socially unacceptable people, put themselves in socially unacceptable situations, and are drawn into socially unacceptable activities. Then meeting the criteria for conduct disorder, they are further stigmatized.

5. Self-Medication
A destructive , though effective, coping strategy used by many people with ADHD is the use of mood-altering substances or behaviors. If the brain chemicals that normally produce feelings of well-being are out of balance, a person will naturally seek ways to right that imbalance. Alcohol is a popular choice for attaining the desired effect. Other mood-altering substances and behaviors provide a similar payoff. Not only alcohol and other drugs but sometimes eating, excessive sexual activity, spending, or risk taking are used as self-medication to relieve the discomfort associated with ADHD.

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