ADHD, addiction, recovery: A yogi’s story | Hyperfocus

If you have ADHD, the science says you’re much more likely to have a substance use disorder in your life than someone who’s neurotypical.

ADHD brains often lack dopamine. Drugs and alcohol can provide a hit of dopamine, albeit a temporary one. That’s why it is so common for people with untreated ADHD to self-medicate.

Elaine O’Brien used to fit that ADHD archetype to a tee. Eventually, though, she entered recovery. She also began practicing Ashtanga yoga, a style that she describes as “very rigorous and very codified.”

She fell for the physicality of the practice and the routine it demands. “It got me in my body and I started to feel good,” she says. “I really started to feel good.”

For years, Elaine had struggled with substance issues and untreated ADHD. She's been in recovery for years but recently began to wonder if the ADHD diagnosis she'd rejected in high school might actually be right.

How did her journey take this path? Listen to this week’s Hyperfocus to find out.

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
03:04 Elaine’s diagnosis story
07:09 ADHD and substance use
13:52 Exercise and sobriety
19:03 "Isn't your job to help people calm down?”

Related resources:
Elaine’s studio: Second Story Pilates and Yoga
https://www.secondstorymovement.com/
Study: Medication reduces risk of drug abuse for people with ADHD
https://www.understood.org/en/article...
ADHD and addiction: Knowledge is power
https://www.understood.org/en/podcast...
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