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Hold On, What Was I Saying? · April 27 · 45 min

ADHD and Addiction: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Get Hooked (On Everything)

We missed an episode. We're not going to pretend otherwise, PMS and ADHD hit at the same time and we were not recording in that state. We're back though, we're a tiny bit tipsy, it's the first sunny day of the year, and we're talking about something that doesn't get discussed nearly enough in the ADHD community: addiction. And not just the obvious kind. In this week's episode, We get into why ADHD brains are neurologically wired to seek dopamine, which means we are far more likely to develop addictive patterns than the average person. But addiction doesn't always look like what you think. It looks like impulsive online shopping at midnight. Four Nintendo Switches bought and sold within a year. A sourdough phase. A Pilates teacher training course you haven't finished. A slow cooker used exactly once. A vape. A matcha. A DIY shed built alone with a bread knife and a lot of blood. Megan opens up about something deeply personal; self-harm as a dopamine-seeking behaviour from the age of 11, and what it taught her about how ADHD and addiction are connected in ways nobody explained to her at the time. Emily shares her experience of being addicted to exercise and why she couldn't understand the impact it was having on her. We also get into the science; why undiagnosed ADHDers self-medicate, what substances actually do to the ADHD brain, and why "just stop" is the least helpful advice you can give someone whose brain is running on empty. Plus: practical strategies that actually work for ADHD brains; replacing rather than removing, shortening the dopamine loop, naming the urge out loud, and why the Aldi middle aisle is basically ADHD in physical form. 🎙️ New episodes every week, follow so you never miss one. ⚠️ This episode contains discussion of self-harm. Please take care of yourself.

0:00-45:27
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We missed an episode. We're not going to pretend otherwise, PMS and ADHD hit at the same time and we were not recording in that state. We're back though, we're a tiny bit tipsy, it's the first sunny day of the year, and we're talking about something that doesn't get discussed nearly enough in the ADHD community: addiction.

And not just the obvious kind.

In this week's episode, We get into why ADHD brains are neurologically wired to seek dopamine, which means we are far more likely to develop addictive patterns than the average person. But addiction doesn't always look like what you think. It looks like impulsive online shopping at midnight. Four Nintendo Switches bought and sold within a year. A sourdough phase. A Pilates teacher training course you haven't finished. A slow cooker used exactly once. A vape. A matcha. A DIY shed built alone with a bread knife and a lot of blood.

Megan opens up about something deeply personal; self-harm as a dopamine-seeking behaviour from the age of 11, and what it taught her about how ADHD and addiction are connected in ways nobody explained to her at the time. Emily shares her experience of being addicted to exercise and why she couldn't understand the impact it was having on her.

We also get into the science; why undiagnosed ADHDers self-medicate, what substances actually do to the ADHD brain, and why "just stop" is the least helpful advice you can give someone whose brain is running on empty.

Plus: practical strategies that actually work for ADHD brains; replacing rather than removing, shortening the dopamine loop, naming the urge out loud, and why the Aldi middle aisle is basically ADHD in physical form.

🎙️ New episodes every week, follow so you never miss one.

⚠️ This episode contains discussion of self-harm. Please take care of yourself.

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