I Like Reading About Other People’s ADHD Experience

Like almost everybody else on earth, I seek out like-minded people to interact with. Sometimes, I find like-minded people by accident. Sometimes, I encounter people afflicted by adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and we share our ADHD experiences.

Where I Find Others' ADHD Experiences

I Don't Frequent Dedicated ADHD Forums

The Internet is vast. And ADHD isn't exactly niche. However, while dedicated ADHD forums exist for people to discuss ADHD symptoms and coping mechanisms, I don't visit them that often. I prefer the semi-surprise of finding comments in places not ostensibly related to ADHD.

For example, I like to discuss ADHD as it relates to my interests and hobbies. I like to see how other people handle (or don't handle, as the case often is) the trials and difficulties of maintaining a hobby in the face of ADHD. Their ADHD experiences can help me and mine might help them.

I Like Reading Tips on How to Quell ADHD

Just recently, I had a conversation with someone who was also diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood. In fact, he only discovered he had it after his friend's son was diagnosed with ADHD, and he recognized and resonated with a lot of the symptoms.

Like me, he plays poker. And, like me, he struggles with impulsivity. He spoke of issues around alcohol. He told me how he uses alcohol as a vehicle for temporary oblivion; how he uses alcohol to squash his ADHD and the racing thoughts which are characteristic of his ADHD experience.

As we went back and forth, we talked about how ADHD affects one's poker-playing ability. We talked about risk aversion, playing above our level, and maintaining good bankroll management. He proferred tips; I proffered my own.

I Take Comfort in Being an ADHD Mirror to Others Sharing Their ADHD Experience

This conversation was instructive. By mirroring his traits, especially as they related to poker, I helped him and he helped me. More so than if I had gone to a dedicated forum for ADHD and encountered generic advice. That's not to denigrate those forums, or the advice therein.

Personally, I get more out of a conversation when it nears closer to the middle of a Venn diagram. I benefit from speaking to people that can help me, and vice versa, as we chart our way through hobbies and interests that bind us, ADHD always in tow.

For example, how do fellow writers structure their lives to ensure they maintain sufficient levels of productivity? How do people mix calisthenics with cardio and weightlifting as someone with ADHD? How do card players, suffering from a condition that makes risk assessment difficult, play fundamentally-sound poker?

How do you approach your hobbies? Do you like dedicated forums to discuss ADHD? Let me know about your ADHD experience the comments.