madgirl

So I scheduled an appt with a psychologist to be tested for ADD - all my life I have been known to lose things, move things around in my house, get distracted and get bored easily.

For a long time I attributed this feeling of not "having my s--t together" to my drinking, but at nine months sobriety I am STILL like this! Last week I left my key fob in my acura parked at the airport, and left my laptop on the plane (raced back to get it.)

Any other recovering alcoholics diagnosed with ADD?

doggonecarl

When I was a kid, there was no such thing as A.D.D. But I was diagnosed as having "ants in my pants."

I'm pretty sure I'm A.D.D. That's why, as I got older, amphetamines were my favorite drug. They helped with the disorder.

I've since learned to live with my condition...if it is indeed a condition. It's the way I am. But I hate losing stuff.

Nonsensical

Yup. Not diagnosed until after I got sober (at the age of 49).

I try to explain it to my wife that I have a car alarm, a barking dog, Charlie Brown's teacher, and a crying baby all going in my head at the same time. Only a few things make them quiet. Booze was one of them - hence my maladaptive appetite for it that led to my addiction to it.

ADD also leads to impulsive decisions/behaviors - like suddenly changing my mind about my decision to stay sober. The doc wanted to put me on meds, but I wanted to try it without. My wife (who was exasperated at the time) also wanted me on the meds, so I had to promise that if my non-medicated way didn't work I would try the meds. So far, so good.

I think knowing that my AV and my ADD are trying to gang up against me has steeled my determination. Knowledge is power.

madgirl

I am stubborn too but I am sick of my own brain - the wandering, the chatter, missing important deadlines because I am off in the circus in my head.

I did drink in the evenings to dull the chatter but it obviously had a terrible negative impact in that I am an addict and can't drink just one (who does that?)

I create to do lists and lose the damn lists. I just want to fix this arrrggghhh

PurpleKnight

Great job on taking action and making the decision to make an appointment Madgirl!!

entropy1964

I snorted meth a bit in the late 80's and I have never been so focused in my whole life. I could sit there for hours and make jewelry! Fortunately I didn't really care for the stuff so it was just a random thing that I would do with my then roommate. She however would binge on the stuff. I'd be leaving at 7am for work and she'd have been up sponge painting or decoupaging the entire apt. for two days straight. It was actually funny. She's not an addict and I wasn't at the time either. Just stupid and young.

tomsteve

I was at a friends house once and we were conversatin. then out of nowhere he says,"you aren't even here."
" what do ya mean?"
"youre mind is runnin like crazy and youre not even here."
" ive been like this as long as I can remember and its one of the reasons I drank. caused me lots of problems at work,too."
;"why not talk to your doctor about it because that's really not normal."
HUH!! brilliant! went to my doctors and there in the exam room was a lil sign on the counter:"10 signs of depression"
first one was racing thoughts. I got to the bottom and had to reread it because my mind was off and running after the first one.
then had to reread it. I really had no idea what depression was all about until then.
this was a year into recovery.
doc put me on a med that helped tremendously.

madgirl

I have wandered/hustled my way into marketing - I am fairly creative, and have learned how to use my mental wanderings to earn a living.

But last week was the final straw - getting off an airplane without my laptop and wondering if my car would still be at the airport or did it get stolen/is my key fob gone - that is a chaotic way to live!!

teatreeoil007

Oh Madgirl-you remind me so much of my hubby and his family. They are known to leave things; sometimes expensive things; on airplanes....They misplace keys and cellphones a lot. My husband lost an expensive camera once on vacation. He's really smart though, in so many ways and very handy around the house. He also doesn't have addiction issues. He copes with his racing thoughts through lots of intense exercise. In some ways he is quite easily distracted, but sometimes he can have amazing intense focus on something he is really fascinated by.

madgirl

One Art
By Elizabeth Bishop
The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident
the art of losing’s not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.