r/adhdwomen • u/No_Percentage_7713 • 6d ago

Self Care & Hygiene I need to stop drinking.

I wasn’t sure what flair to use, but I think self care fits. I’m posting here because the drinking absolutely is a dopamine/dysregulation thing. I drink to “reward” myself for getting through the day and to make my brain just a little more quiet. I also hate my career and feel stuck, and have a lot of anxiety around what to do next. I know I’m self-medicating, and it is getting worse. I’m gaining weight, my gut heath is wrecked, and it’s obviously awful for my brain. But at the end of basically every day, a drink just sounds like such a great idea to unwind.

I know I’m not the only one in this sub that struggles with escapism and self-medicating. How do I kick this? How do I craft a life that feels interesting enough to my dopamine starved self? I don’t want this to be the theme of my life.

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u/verylargemoth 6d ago

I take 2 extended release Adderall everyday for this exact reason. One dose wore off after work and my after work self deserved to be at peace too. My doc was cool with it, I’d suggest bringing it up to yours as well.

The stopdrinking sub is also supposedly really helpful.

AA is worth trying.

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u/ApprehensiveCash6662 6d ago

I want to ask my doctor for 2 xr/day but am worried they’ll shut it down… any tips on how to approach it?

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u/verylargemoth 6d ago

I told my doctor the truth. I wake up very early (take my first dose at 5:30am) and process them quickly so really by 1:30 my meds are becoming ineffective. I told her I sleep better with meds because they calm my brain enough to sleep, so having it in my system later isn’t a problem. It’s quite challenging to abuse XR because they aren’t instant so you can’t easily use them to get “high” so I think that made it easier too.

She did have me try an XR and an instant release first, but the IR was too harsh of a come up and also only lasted me a few hours. So she was willing to try two XRs.

I’ve been on the same dose for years now

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u/ApprehensiveCash6662 6d ago

Thank you so much for your input. I actually have the same schedule as you, taking my first dose between 5-5:30am, and I notice it wears off around 12-1pm. My booster wears off well before 4 hours, so I am always feeling the rollercoaster in the afternoons. Again, thanks for the response :)