3 ms·

>It's fine to say "change the environment" but that's not always an option. I think that's more up to the individual than the institution. My own story is a ty

>It's fine to say "change the environment" but that's not always an option. I think that's more up to the individual than the institution. My own story is a typical "I didn't know I had ADHD until it was too late," and I do wonder if I would have a better life if I just went straight into the workforce instead of spending a couple extra years trying to finish college and not realizing why its so hard for me. I even had a decent IT job in college, but thought it so shameful not to have a college degree that I quit to continue my studies and, of course, get deeper into debt. Maybe some personality types just don't work well in those environments. Insert typical "higher education isn't for everyone" debate here. >Not to mention the "hunter-gatherer vs farmer" dichotomy doesn't explain the rise of ADHD diagnoses in the last 20 years Maybe because society has reached a point where we can discuss these things without the idea of punishment and without applying morality to it? ADHD kids in the past were beaten, called losers, call sinful, called stupid, etc. Society hit them as hard as it could, yet it didn't fix anything. We've moved away from that mode of thinking and realized that some kids just aren't going to grow out of it and its not their fault. The same way that Alzheimers has been part of the human condition for god knows how long yet we only "discovered" it 1906. Before that, we just thought it was part of getting old and didn't realize its actually separate from aging the same way ADHD is separate from being an energetic child. > Certainly it's less addictive than caffeine. Getting off caffeine is trivial. Adderal withdrawal can be very serious for many people. I consider most ADHD meds to be pretty serious drugs. I don't think that's very controversial.

hoggle 12y ago
I've got the exact same history in terms of my academic career and being a "job-out" but I keep wondering about all the cool research work people like us could be doing if they would actually be able to study with discipline? I can't study, never been able to without out-of-proportion-huge investments in time and energy - I can't even finish books I really like anymore without brutally "hacking" my ADHD induced distractability and mind-wandering.
chimeracoder 12y ago
> Getting off caffeine is trivial. Adderal withdrawal can be very serious for many people. I consider most ADHD meds to be pretty serious drugs. I don't think that's very controversial. Caffeine withdrawal is no joke either. Getting off caffeine is not trivial, and "can be very serious for many people" as well. Whether or not your statement is controversial, your implication is not pharmacologically correct, in the sense that caffeine and amphetamines are both comparably serious drugs. It is not very meaningful to compare the addictive potential of two substances, but to the extent that we can, the two are roughly the same[0]. Contrary to public perception, it is not correct to say that amphetamines are inherently "more serious" than caffeine; the means of ingestion, dosage, and (most importantly) the individual's personal biochemistry vary enough that you cannot compare those two drugs directly. [0] The reason it is not a meaningful comparison is that the actual chemical compound is only one small factor that influence substance abuse and/or dependence. The means of ingestion alone is far more significant than the actual compound being ingested, which often surprises people to learn.
JohnBooty 12y ago
Getting off caffeine is trivial. Adderal withdrawal can be very serious for many people. This is obviously anecdotal, but I've discontinued Adderall (by tapering my dosage to zero over the course of 3-4 days) on numerous occasions with zero withdrawal or side effects. Quitting caffeine by the same method is quite a bit more difficult for me.
- tekalon 12y ago
  Same. I've had no issues with 'addictions' to caffeine or to my meds, despite doctors worrying about it. I know my brain/body reacts to caffeine/stimulants differently than others due to my ADD.

hoggle 12y ago

I've got the exact same history in terms of my academic career and being a "job-out" but I keep wondering about all the cool research work people like us could be doing if they would actually be able to study with discipline? I can't study, never been able to without out-of-proportion-huge investments in time and energy - I can't even finish books I really like anymore without brutally "hacking" my ADHD induced distractability and mind-wandering.

chimeracoder 12y ago

> Getting off caffeine is trivial. Adderal withdrawal can be very serious for many people. I consider most ADHD meds to be pretty serious drugs. I don't think that's very controversial. Caffeine withdrawal is no joke either. Getting off caffeine is not trivial, and "can be very serious for many people" as well. Whether or not your statement is controversial, your implication is not pharmacologically correct, in the sense that caffeine and amphetamines are both comparably serious drugs. It is not very meaningful to compare the addictive potential of two substances, but to the extent that we can, the two are roughly the same[0]. Contrary to public perception, it is not correct to say that amphetamines are inherently "more serious" than caffeine; the means of ingestion, dosage, and (most importantly) the individual's personal biochemistry vary enough that you cannot compare those two drugs directly. [0] The reason it is not a meaningful comparison is that the actual chemical compound is only one small factor that influence substance abuse and/or dependence. The means of ingestion alone is far more significant than the actual compound being ingested, which often surprises people to learn.

JohnBooty 12y ago

Getting off caffeine is trivial. Adderal withdrawal can be very serious for many people. This is obviously anecdotal, but I've discontinued Adderall (by tapering my dosage to zero over the course of 3-4 days) on numerous occasions with zero withdrawal or side effects. Quitting caffeine by the same method is quite a bit more difficult for me.

tekalon 12y ago
Same. I've had no issues with 'addictions' to caffeine or to my meds, despite doctors worrying about it. I know my brain/body reacts to caffeine/stimulants differently than others due to my ADD.