People with ADHD are at risk of misuse and dependency on alcohol. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, which means that it slows down our nerve impulses and messes with the neurotransmitters in our brains. This is why it makes us feel good and why it is addictive. Alcohol affects people with ADHD differently than people without ADHD. It could have a more severe impact on their overall health, memory and brain function.
This article will outline some of the top reasons how does alcohol affect adhd.
1) It slows brain activity
The first reason that people with ADHD should avoid alcohol is the fact that it slows down brain activity. This is one of the reasons why many people feel drowsy after consuming alcohol. People with ADHD have a harder time than others when it comes to regulating their behavior and their ability to pay attention is diminished by alcohol consumption. This in turn can lead to diminished inhibitions and poor decision making which can have disastrous consequences.
2) Alcohol disrupts working memory
Another reason people with ADHD should avoid alcohol is that alcohol can disrupt working memory, which means that it makes it harder for us to do all sorts of things. Some of these things include keeping track of tasks, remembering appointments and other daily tasks. It is easier for people with ADHD to get distracted because of the effect that alcohol has on our nervous system. This can lead to issues like getting sidetracked or procrastinating due to not being able to keep organized or focus on just one task at a time.
3) Alcohol impairs concentration
Another reason people with ADHD should avoid alcohol is that it can create a feeling of nervousness and impairs our ability to concentrate. Alcohol can make us feel more anxious and less in control of our emotions which makes it even harder for us to pay attention. It can also make us feel a sense of apprehension or nervousness when we are around other people who we know or who consider drinking alcohol. This is because we may project our feelings onto them and think they are going to be focused on or be interested in what we have to say.
4) Alcohol makes depression worse
Many people with ADHD experience issues with depression, but alcohol use is known to make it a lot even worse for some people with ADHD. This is because alcohol makes us feel more depressed. If someone has already experienced symptoms of depression, then drinking can make their feelings of sadness or anxiety even worse. When we have an emotional reaction to alcohol, it can make it even harder for a person with ADHD to not only feel the effects of the alcohol but also the pain of feeling depressed and sad.
5) It makes the bipolar disorder worse
Many people with ADHD experience episodes that are similar to those in bipolar disorder and they may be misdiagnosed with this disorder due to their symptoms and issues with regulating their behaviors. One of the symptoms seen in bipolar disorder is binge drinking. Some people with bipolar disorder will binge drink and the effects of this can be very damaging to them and can make their depression even worse. This is because alcohol does not discriminate and affects everyone differently, meaning that a person may have a genetic predisposition for alcoholism.
6) It increases the risk of developing a substance use disorder
Many people with ADHD also have issues with controlling their behaviors regarding other substances such as tobacco, marijuana and other drugs. Drinking alcohol can lead to addiction which is something that many people with ADHD do not want to deal with. It is widely known that even moderate drinking will lead to an increase in attempts at quitting or trying harder to control excessive behaviors around drinking.