WHAT ADHD IS
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, not a lack of this.
Effort, willpower, or character
Name one of the two main brain chemicals involved in ADHD.
Dopamine or norepinephrine
Acting before thinking is an example of which ADHD trait?
Impulsivity
ADHD is considered a major risk factor for what condition?
Addiction / substance use disorders
ADHD increases relapse risk mainly because of problems with what two abilities?
Self-regulation and impulse control
ADHD symptoms often continue into this stage of life.
Adulthood
Dopamine mainly affects reward and what other process?
Motivation
Difficulty with routines, organization, and follow-through is called what?
Executive dysfunction
In most cases, which develops first: ADHD or addiction?
ADHD
Treating ADHD improves engagement, consistency, and what overall outcome?
Recovery outcomes
Name two of the four main areas ADHD affects.
Attention, impulse control, motivation, emotional regulation
Norepinephrine plays a key role in alertness and this function.
Sustained attention
Emotional dysregulation lowers tolerance for which internal experience?
Distress or discomfort
ADHD is very common in what type of treatment setting?
Addiction treatment programs
Recovery models based only on restriction and avoidance often fail for ADHD because they ignore the need for what?
Stimulation
ADHD-related behaviors are often misunderstood as personal choices rather than this.
Neurological differences
Because of ADHD neurobiology, motivation is best described as inconsistent rather than what?
Absent
Time blindness affects how real or unreal what feels to a person.
Future consequences
Many people in addiction treatment with ADHD were never diagnosed or were what?
Misdiagnosed
Healthy stimulation in recovery replaces what effect substances used to provide?
Dopamine reward
ADHD affects how a person can use effort, not how much effort they have. This challenges the idea that ADHD is caused by what belief?
“If I just tried harder, I’d be fine”
Why doesn’t “trying harder” reliably fix motivation problems in ADHD?
Because motivation depends on brain chemistry, not effort alone
In treatment settings, ADHD traits are often mistaken for resistance or what other judgment?
Noncompliance or not caring
ADHD increases the risk of relapse especially when which condition is untreated?
ADHD itself
Structure helps ADHD recovery because it supports weak executive function, not because someone does what better?
Tries harder