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ADHD and Marijuana

hemp leaf ADHD and Marijuana Adults with ADD use marijuana to self medicate. They enjoy the calm feeling and the relief from anxiety, worry, depression that it provides. It can also act as a sleep aid. Many of my clients say that when they smoke marijuana it makes them feel ‘normal’.

However, while smoking marijuana gives the illusion of making you feel better, it actually makes your ADHD worse. It reduces your ability to learn, remember negativity affects your motivation and increases procrastination. It also makes you distracted and depressed. This is particularly bad news as it means you smoke more to block the pain out. Your sleep pattern is also negatively affected. Keeping a sleep schedule that is in line with the rest of the population is already challenging when you have ADHD. Smoking pot really throws the pattern off even further.

ADHD researcher, Rachel Gittleman-Klein, advises adults and children with ADD not to try Marijuana, Ever. It gives you such a sense of calmness while at the same time the ability to mentally fantasize. That combination is so irresistible to the ADHD brain you will want to keep on using it.

If you are already smoking marijuana and you are ready to change, there are ways to stop.

1) Visit your doctor and explain the situation and that you want to start treating your ADHD.

2) Start implementing the Untapped Brilliance Strategies, when you have ADHD your brain is low on dopamine; you can find unhealthy ways to increase your dopamine, or healthy ways, e.g. Omega 3, ADHD friendly diet, exercise and meditation.

3) Find a Marijuana support group in your area and attend.

4) Become a detective and pin point everything that smoking helped you with. Anxiety, worry, depression, etc. There are lots of ways to treat all of these without smoking. For example with depression, medication and counseling are both options.

5) Don’t beat yourself over, ‘wasted years’ the important thing is you are making changes now. Focus on ‘the now’ and the future.

6) Change your life. Making a decision to stop smoking marijuana is the first step. The next is to shake up your life. Having the same friends, doing the same things just minus smoking is very hard for you and won’t have such a high success rate, instead do things differently. Spend the time you would have spent smoking doing new activities. When you add things to your life not just taking things away, success becomes easier and less painful.

Girls and ADHD

Just as the general public is surprised that adults have ADHD, they are also surprised to learn that girls and women have ADHD too and it’s not just a male disorder.

Boys are 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. This is properly because of the difference in behaviour. Boys tend to be rebellious and disruptive in the classroom and at home, so help and treatment is sought out. Girls, by comparison are more likely to have inattentive ADHD. This means because ADHD, it isn’t so physically obvious to parents and teachers, therefore the girls are thought of as dreamy and not academic rather than having a problem that needs help.

Stats show that girls with ADHD are more likely to have depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self-esteem issues than boys with ADHD. This is almost certainly a direct result of their ADHD not being recognized.

If you have a daughter who you think might have ADHD, start the process of getting a diagnosis right away. When you have an ADHD diagnosis, both of you are empowered. You know exactly what you are dealing with and can start treating it. This might include ADHD meds, but doesn’t have to necessarily.

Other ways to help your ADHD daughter are:

1) Spend some quiet one on one time with her every day. Go for a walk, hang out on the sofa and just listen to what she has to say. Most of it will be general chit chat, but when she is use to confiding in you, when something upsetting happens you will know about it immediately.

2) Find a sport or physical activity she enjoys. Make it easy and fun for her to do every day. Exercise, is a key. Not only does it help the ADHD symptoms, it also builds a healthy self-esteem. Girls that exercise are less likely to have eating disorders, participate in underage drinking or engage in sexual relationships. All of which can be problems for girls with ADHD

3) Buy Omega 3 supplements so your daughter can start taking them. Omega 3 is incredible. Read why here: http://budurl.com/asb5

4) Consider getting a dog. Animals are completely non-judgmental and loving and fun. If your daughter is shy they help with confidence and if she doesn’t like exercise, they make it fun.

5) Tell the school. When your daughter is diagnosed she will be able to get accommodations at school. For example, extra time for exams. Children don’t like to be different from their peers, but this will help her get the grades she is capable of. Which, in turn helps confidence and boosts moral.

If you need further help with your ADHD check out my Coaching for Parents package.