Unmasking ADHD: My Journey and Its Link to Addiction

Originally published on Counselling Directory

👉 You can read the full article here

🎧 Prefer to listen? I’ve recorded an audio version below.

This is a personal piece.

It started with me realising that ADHD might be a much bigger part of my story than I ever thought — not something I was diagnosed with, but something that started making a lot of sense the more I learned about it. What surprised me most was how much it explained parts of my life I’d found hard to put into words — especially around disconnection, anxiety, shame, and addictive patterns.

The article reflects on that journey, including what I saw working in drug and alcohol services — people who were deeply sensitive, often neurodivergent, and doing their best to survive in a world that wasn’t set up for them.

I also talk a bit about the stigma around ADHD, and the myths that stopped me from looking into it sooner. It’s not a clinical article — more a story, really — but one that I hope resonates with people who’ve ever felt like they’re “just not coping” and don’t know why.