healthmedicinet

Some of us need alternatives

Diagnosed or not, many of us self-medicate. And we often do it with things that can be dangerous.

Marijuana comes to mind quickly whenever I talk about self-medication. But alcohol is also a common one, and of course the heavier drugs that are available don’t get left out.

And since stimulation is the thing that most of us find to be useful in combating ADHD symptoms, anything that provides that reaction will do. So dangerous behaviors or risk taking activities are big things.

So in order to stimulate ourselves we find that sex and gambling and speeding work wonders for quick term fixes to clear our heads. Giving in to impulses is basically the root of stimulant behavior.

But are there other activities, safer activities, that can help us when it comes to combating symptoms?

Yes, there may be a few

1. Exercise: Exercise works well since it increases stimulant body chemistry. It also has the benefit of making us healthier, and no one doubts the advantages of good physical health when dealing with mental health issues.
2. Neatness: Neatness is more of a habit than a treatment, and yet it does help in dealing with some symptoms. It gives us a focal point for making decisions. For instance, impulsive shopping is counter intuitive to being neat. Being organized is augmented by neatness. Remember, we don’t claim that we can’t be organized, just that it is difficult. Neatness makes it less so.
3. Punctuality: Like being neat, being punctual is habit forming. It’s not easy for everyone, mind you, I am habitually punctual, but I pay the price with being anxious about being late all the time. And the cost of being punctual is putting off doing other things, important or otherwise, to be on time for commitments.
4. Hoarding: A bit of a stretch, hoarding is considered a less than attractive activity, but the hoarder suffers less anxiety over keeping something unneeded than they do over throwing something out or passing something up.
5. Adventure: Adventure in the form of doing unique and unusual things can be very stimulating. This would be things like going for a walk in a place you’ve never been or taking a class on something you know little or nothing about. There is little or no physical risk involved, but emotionally you are taking a chance. And that can be stimulating.

If you’ve been looking for a way to self medicate or augment your meds, consider these lesser known alternatives. Well, maybe not the hoarding one, just because something helps in the short term doesn’t mean it’s a good long term plan, unless, of course, you have unlimited storage and income, then maybe hoarding might be an option.

If that’s the case, I have a basement full of stuff I might be willing to part with … someday.

 

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And they are apparently too stupid to realize how easy it is to ensure they are called out for their bad behavior.

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    Last reviewed: 23 Feb 2014