ADHD and Addiction

ADHD and Addiction

People with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) are afflicted with a deficit in their sensory filtering system. The brain normally has the ability to block out irrelevant sounds such as distant traffic noise or conversations from across the room. Most people with ADHD cannot. For them these distractions are called “stimulus augmentation” or “overload”. People with this condition hear, see, and feel everything. The world seems unfiltered and a flood of disorganized information pours in ceaselessly.

Research has shown that significantly more children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder develop problems with alcoholism or drug addiction than do children without the disorder.

It has also been reported that a substantial proportion of people with ADHD also have learning disorders, antisocial personality disorder, or Tourette syndrome.

Kenneth Blum, PhD, a renowned neuroscientist is credited with the co-discovery of the first genetic association of the dopamine D2 receptor gene with severe alcoholism. The D2 receptor gene is associated with a variety of impulsive, compulsive, addictive behaviors, including the use of crack cocaine, smoking, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Dr. Blum gave a name to this complex condition – “reward deficiency syndrome” (RDS). This relates to the deficiency in the reward part of the brain where dopamine works. Because dopamine helps us regulate attention, a disruption in the dopamine system results in trouble organizing thoughts, paying attention, and feeling connected.

Some people are born with the D2 receptor gene and therefore more susceptible to becoming addicted than other people. People with a genetic predisposition are not predestined to develop addiction, but they are of high risk because of reward deficiency and because of the way their bodies respond to mood-altering substances or behaviors.

The probability that people with a reward deficiency will self-medicate regularly is high. People will use whatever works best for them to relieve their discomfort – whether it is alcohol, cocaine, marijuana or other drugs. The drugs allow people with a reward deficiency to control stress and restore a sense of well-being. People who use drugs frequently and excessively need more and more of their drug of choice to get the same effect.

Recovery from the damage of addiction requires abstinence. But here is the catch – brain chemistry is altered by alcohol and drug abuse and the damage interferes with the ability to abstain. The number of brain neurotransmitter receptor sites has decreased and the reward deficiency is more severe than before addictive use began. Trying to abstain causes nervous excitement or withdrawal effects, followed by an intense craving for the drug, all of which leads to the continued use of the substance for relief.

Unfortunately, relief is short-lived as the pain of addictive living returns. It is of vital importance, then, to get treatment for both ADHD and addiction in order to manage both conditions to stay sober and healthy.

But before treatment, a person should have extensive lab tests to get to the real cause of the symptoms.  For further information, check the following website:
http://www.endadhd.com