When people hear of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – ADHD they think of children who cannot sit for a long time. Teachers think of children who cause problems in the classroom by disrupting lessons. This is partially true, but the problems of ADHD are more than rowdiness in children. In fact, there are adults with ADHD, and one of the problems that can arise from ADHD in adults is substance abuse. There many ways in which substance abuse is related to ADHD.
There are several research studies that have shown that there is a strong link between substance abuse and ADHD. It is estimated that about 5 to 10 more people with this disorder are more likely to be alcoholic than those who do not have the disorder. Teenage substance abuse is more common in children with ADHD. One study has revealed that about 15% of adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17 already had problems related to abuse of alcohol.
It has also been found out that people who have ADHD are more likely to be using hard substance like marijuana, cocaine, and other recreational drugs when compared to those who don’t have the disorder. The bottom line is that people who have ADHD do get involved in substance abuse earlier in life as compared to those who don’t have it.
What are the reasons for this?
People who have ADHD are very impulsive. They are more likely to suffer from behavior problems. These two factors can contribute to substance abuse. It has also been found that alcohol abuse and ADHD occur in the same families. It has been discovered in research that the genes responsible for alcoholism are similar to those of ADHD. Therefore an ADHD child with an alcoholic parent will easily learn alcohol abuse from his/her parent.
Use of stimulant medications
There is some controversy about this subject. One part is that some of the stimulants used in treating ADHD are addictive. For example Ritalin, which works in raising the levels of dopamine in the brain to improve attention and focus, creates feelings similar to those related to cocaine. The individual will therefore want more of it. In absence of that, they might settle for other similar substances. In fact Ritalin, because of the feelings it creates, is said to be “poor man’s cocaine.”
The other side of the argument is that the use of stimulants rather prevents the abuse of other substances. This conclusion was arrived at after several years of research. One of these studies was about 100 boys who were observed for about ten years. It was concluded that the risk of substance abuse was lower in people with ADHD who take stimulant medication as compared to those who don’t.
It should be noted that not all those with ADHD will end up abusing substances. There are people without ADHD with the problem of substance abuse. In cases where substance abuse is a problem, doctors resort to treating the condition with non stimulants.