With 2011 drawing to a close, I wanted to offer up what I and many of my readers thought as well…..were some of my best posts this past year.
Bad Top 40 Music & ADD Cognitive Therapy
Hyperfocus: I Can Do Everything!
Linkedin, ADD & A Fat Kid In The Candy Store
ADD, $100-Billion Dollars!!! (Say it like Dr. Evil)
Hockey Player with ADHD Comes Out
ADD, The F-Bomb and Basal Ganglia Envy
Thanks for your continued support everyone and Happy New Year!
How to start the year out on the right foot? Many people wonder, commit to New Year’s resolutions and have other thoughts on what will make the coming year a 
success. Before you jump into the New Year with all sorts of thoughts, it’s important to first take time to reflect on the year that has passed. What were your successes? What did you do or accomplish that you haven’t given yourself credit for? What unrealistic expectations did you hold yourself to? What one thing would you do over, if given the opportunity? What lessons did you learn from that experience?
From there, consider how ADD/ADHD has impacted the answers to these questions and apply them to thoughts like….. what one goal did you want to accomplish in 2011 that you weren’t able to? Why was this goal important to you? What got in your way of achieving this goal? What are you willing to do differently to accomplish this goal in the future?
This simple exercise will offer you a lot of insight into what worked for you in 2011, what didn’t…..how ADD/ADHD has impacted you and what you need to do to manage it more effectively in 2012.
By Guest Blogger Marina Salsbury – Often hailed as a “wonder drug” by both parents of kids and children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and college students pulling all-nighters, Adderall is a brand-name amphetamine that is often used “off label.” Although the drug is commonly prescribed to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, it has gathered a following on college campuses from students with a range of objectives including losing weight to getting high or enhancing cognitive functioning to excel in PhD programs. Use of the drug has brought up questions about competition in schools and what exactly constitutes cheating.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4% of college students have used Adderall off-label. Other studies cite a much higher number, maintaining that non-prescription Adderall use is as high as 35% at some universities. Full-time college students were two times as likely to use the drug in the past year than part-time students or non-students in the same age range. Almost 90% of college students who used the medication in the past thirty days also practiced binge drinking and more than 50% were classified as heavy drinkers. Adderall users under the age of 21 were more likely to use alcohol heavily or binge drink than those who abstained from the drug. College students who had used non-prescribed Adderall were also more likely to have used illegal drugs than those who had not used the drug. According to the New Yorker, male undergraduate students are most likely to use Adderall without a prescription. Fraternity and sorority members and those with a grade point average below 3.0 are also more likely to abuse the drug. Although these statistics are merely correlations, they do provide insight into the demographics who are most likely to use Adderall off-prescription.
Adderall has a high potential for dependence and abuse is therefore considered a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substance Act. Other potential side effects include loss of appetite, headaches, anxiety, and insomnia. The drug also carries a warning for increased potential for cardiac problems in adults. Many off-label users do not consider these dangerous effects because they likely know someone that has taken the medication since childhood without negative effects.
Pills are often given away to friends by those with a prescription but are also sold for $5 to $15 per pill, depending on the tablet’s dosage. Pill prices can escalate during midterms and finals, selling for as much as $25 each, an expensive habit on a typical college student’s limited budget.
The costs of using Adderall without a prescription are not just physical and financial. Illegal use of the drugs can be grounds for suspension or expulsion at many universities. In most states, possession of the pills without a prescription constitutes a felony offense, resulting in possible jail time, probation and steep fees.
The possible over-prescription of the drug has made Adderall readily available for students in competitive college environments. Some schools, like Duke University, have added use of the medication to its official definition of cheating. For many students, the small advantage of taking Adderall to pull an all-nighterleads to major rewards. For others, the consequences may be life altering physically, financially, and academically.
For many people, including some ADD’ers, the holiday season is not a time of joy and cheer but of depression, loneliness, anxiety and self-evaluation. Some are not 
with their family, perhaps they are just too far away and others are with their families too much. Others have money challenges or many are not able to make their schedules work. No matter the reason, holiday depression is common. Lets toss in the additional stresses of unrealistic fatigue and the busy pace of life, and it’s easy to see why seasonal depression at this time of the year occurs. So many people with ADD/ADHD are very capable of learning to manager their situations and can directly impact depression.
There are a number of suggestions that can help keep the holiday depression at a minimum.
• Schedule obligations and parties wisely. If trying to cram another obligation into the already over filed schedule causes stress, cancel and just relax. (I’m bad at managing this one)
• Recognize the sadness of absent loved ones instead of denying the sadness.
• Set reasonable financial goals based on what the budget can afford.
• Remember that Christmas depression is not permanent. Moods typically improve once the holidays are over and once the worst of winter is over.
• Be especially mindful of diet during the holiday season. High sugar and carbohydrate laden foods typical of the holidays will only make depression matters worse. Allow indulgences during the holidays, but with limitations.
• Put old issues aside when dealing with family. If that is not possible, consider limiting the time spent.
Happy holidays to you!
Self improvement, it’s that never ending quest to learn, become better and work through the many challenges that we face in life. However, sometimes we need to take a step back and acknowledge our accomplishments and turn of the self-help switch off………. and just be. I came across a great article that was sent to be by a good friend called Quashing the Self-Improvement Urge, written by Leo Babauta.
“One of the driving forces of my life for many years was the need to improve myself. It’s one of the driving forces for people who read my work as well. It’s an incredibly pervasive urge: we are always trying to improve, and if we’re not, that’s something we should improve. It’s everywhere. Where does this urge come from? It’s embedded in our culture — in the U.S. from Benjamin Franklin to the early entrepreneurial titans, everyone is trying to better themselves. It goes deeper, to ancient Western ideals of the perfect well-rounded person. But it flourished in the 20th century, from Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill to Stephen Covey. And now it’s in full bloom, with blogs. And yes, I’m part of this movement.
So what’s the problem? You could say it’s great that people are constantly trying to improve themselves, but where does it end? When is anyone ever content with who they are? We are taught that we are not good enough yet, that we must improve, and so … we always feel a little inadequate. This is true no matter how much you’ve accomplished. You might have achieved a thousand goals, but do you have defined abs? Are your boobs big and bouncy? Do you have perfect skin? Have you read every classic in literature? Do you know fine wines, fine art, and every great musician from classical to jazz to punk to rock? Do you have success as an entrepreneur, as a writer? Can you speak several languages, and have you traveled the world? Do you own fewer than 100 things, or a small house? Are you a fast runner, and have you run a 100 miler? Can you Crossfit, or lift 1,000 pounds in the Big Three lifts? Do you have the perfect home, and can you cook gourmet meals? Are you the perfect parent, or have perfect work-life balance? Can you do yoga, meditate, juggle and do magic? Do you brew the perfect cup of coffee, or tea, or beer? Can you recite Shelly, Shakespeare, Homer? Are you good at picking up women, are you the perfect friend, the perfect lover, a romantic husband, a wife who meets her husband’s needs, a master craftsman, a hacker and a programmer, a knitter or sewer, a home-repair expert, knowledgeable in investing and real estate, do you know the perfect system for goals and use the perfect to-do software, is your phone as nice as his, or your bag as nice as hers, do you have cute boots or a manly shave? Are you debt free, or car free or gluten free? Do you give to charity or volunteer at shelters or build schools for Africa? Is your TV as large as mine, or your penis?
Are you adequate? Are you confident of that? We are never adequate, never perfect, never self-confident, never good enough, never comfortable with ourselves, never satisfied, never there, never content. And it becomes the reason we buy self-help products, fitness products, gadgets to make us cooler, nicer clothes, nicer cars and homes, nicer bags and boots, plastic surgery and drugs, courses and classes and coaches and retreats. It will never stop, because we will never be good enough. We must improve. We must read every self-improvement book. When we read a blog, we must try that method, because it will make us better. When we read someone else’s account of his achievements, his goal system, his entrepreneurial lifestyle, her yoga routine, her journaling method, her reading list, we must try it. We will always read what others are doing, in case it will help us get better. We will always try what others are doing, try every diet and every system, because it helped them get better, so maybe it will help us too. Soon, we will find the ultimate solutions, soon we will get there. No, that hasn’t happened yet, but maybe this year will be the year.
Maybe 2012 will be the year we reach perfection. Or maybe it will never stop, until we die, and that’s a part of life — life is a constant striving for improvement, and we’d hate to ever stop wanting to improve, because that means we’re dead, right? Even if that means that as we die, we wonder if we could have been better, and our last thought is, “Am I adequate as a person?” Even if that means we are never happy with ourselves, at least we are striving to be happy with ourselves, right? What if instead, we learned to be happy with ourselves? What would happen?
Would we stop striving to improve? Would that be horrible, if we were just content and didn’t need to better ourselves every minute of every week? Would we be lazy slobs, or would we instead be happy, and in being happy do things that make us happy rather than make us better? And in being happy, perhaps we would show others how to be happy? And crazy as it might sound, maybe we’d start a little mini-revolution of happiness, so that people wouldn’t feel so inadequate, or need to spend every dime on products, or spend all their time on self-improvement.
A revolution of contentment. Think of how this might simplify your life. Think of how many self-improvement books you read, or listen to in the car. Think of how many products you buy to make yourself better. Think of how many things you read online, in the hopes of being better. Think of how many things you do because you feel inadequate. Think of how much time this would free up, how much mental energy. Realize that you are already perfect. You are there. You can breathe a sigh of relief. The urge to improve yourself will come up again. Watch it, like a funny little clown trying to tease your soul, but don’t let your soul feel worse for the teasing. Don’t let yourself react to this little clown, nor feel the pain of his attack. Let him do his dance, say his funny things, and then go away.
Quash the urge to improve, to be better. It only makes you feel inadequate. And then explore the world of contentment. It’s a place of wonderment.”
May ADD’ers need to work at managing their stress. Some can’t cope with it, others fall into a trap of hyper focus and others procrastinate themselves into issues that compound into stressful situations.
I’ve posted previously about the book by Richard Carlson called Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. I revisit that book frequently and re-read #19, Lower Your Tolerance to Stress. Here is is: “It seems that we have it backward in our society. We tend to look up to people who are under a great deal of stress, who can handle loads of stress, and those who are under a great deal of pressure. When someone says, “I’ve been working really hard,” or “I’m really stressed out,” we are taught to admire, even emulate their behavior. In my work as a stress consultant, I hear the proud words, “I have a very high tolerance to stress” almost every day. It probably won’t come as a surprise that when these stressed-out people first arrive at my office, more often than not, what they are hoping for are strategies to raise their tolerance to stress even higher so they can handle even more!
Fortunately, there is an inviolable law in our emotional environment that goes something like this: Our current level of stress will be exactly that of our tolerance to stress. You’ll notice that the people who say, “I can handle lots of stress” will always be under a great deal of it! So, if you teach people to raise their tolerance to stress, that’s exactly what will happen. They will accept even more confusion and responsibility until again, their external level of stress matches that of their tolerance. Usually it takes a crisis of some kind to wake up a stressed-out person to their own craziness – a spouse leaves, a health issue emerges, a serious addiction takes over their life – something happens that jolts them into a search for a new kind of strategy.
It may seem strange, but if you were to enroll in the average stress management workshop, what you would probably learn is to raiseyour tolerance to stress. It seems that even stress consultants are stressed out! What you want to start doing is noticing your stress early, beforeit gets out of hand. When you feel your mind moving too quickly, it’s time to back off and regain your bearings. When your schedule is getting out of hand, it’s a signal that it’s time to slow down and reevaluate what’s important rather than power through everything on the list. When you’re feeling out of control and resentful of all you have to do, rather than roll up your sleeves and “get to it”, a better strategy is to relax, take a few deep breaths, and go for a short walk. You’ll find that when you catch yourself getting too stressed out – early, before it gets out of control – your stress will be like the proverbial snowball rolling down the hill. When it’s small, it’s manageable and easy to control. Once it gathers momentum, however, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to stop.
There’s no need to worry that you won’t get it all done. When your mind is clear and peaceful and your stress level is reduced, you’ll be more effective and you’ll have more fun. As you lower your tolerance to stress, you’ll find that you have far less stress to handle, as well as creative ideas for handling the stress that’s left over.“
For a few years now, I break out my now famous Christmas time post called “Santa 
Has ADD”. It is based on the Christmas classic Twas the Night Before Christmas. I enjoy poking fun at myself. So, it’s time to dust this classic off, tis the season!
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,
The ADD’ers were stirring, busy as a mouse.
The stockings weren’t yet hung by the chimney with care,
A procrastinating St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The children were nestled close to their beds,
While visions of Ritalin danced in their heads.
And Mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a never ending chat.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I stopped multi-tasking to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters while eating corned-hash.
The moon on the breast of the new-shoveled snow,
Gave the hustle & bustle to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight hyperactive reindeer.
With an energetic old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in an ADD moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than me his coursers they came,
And he whistled creatively, and called them by name;
“Now, Hyper! now, Crazy! now, Racer and Speedy!
On, Busy! on Spazy! on, Unfocused and Frenzy!
To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
Those wound-up reindeer let out a shriek & cry.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Concerta, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As confusion in my head, was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came quick & profound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with Strattera and soot.
A bundle of self-help books he had flung on his back,
And he looked so pragmatic just opening his pack.
His eyes, how they moved! His dimples how merry!
He was easily distracted, his nose like a cherry!
He blurted out answers, something about a bow?
And fidgeted in his beard for a piece of white snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke confused him like a blinding wreath.
He had a passionate face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a day-planner full of jelly.
He had difficulty playing, like a hyperactive elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know, I had to go make my bed.
He spoke too many words, and went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger beside his nose,
He procrastinated slightly, then up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, but couldn’t find his whistle,
And away they all took off like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him shout out, as he made an illegal right,
Happy ADD Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.
You have to be able to laugh at yourself. I have ADD and I joke about it… my friends know they can joke about it too. With that, today I thought I’d offer up some ADD/ADHD items that might put a smile on your face and let you look at things from the lighter side of life.
Some funny notes:
- Can meet someone, fall deeply in love, marry, fight, hate, and divorce, all in about 35 minutes or less.
- Make far reaching analogies that no one else understands. Write them off as “Deep Thoughts”
- Able to tie seemingly unrelated ideas together
- Proviedes job security for writers of Spell Checkk programs
Jokes
-Why did the ADD-er go to the Doctor for Viagra? Because his lizard was sick and he heard that Viagra was for reptile dysfunction.
-A friend of mine with ADHD is looking to buy a used car. He’s looking for a little Focus.
Stupidity
“I contracted ADHD from a dirty toilet seat.”
Is it possible I have found the key to overcoming ADD? The secret source of concentration and focus? Maybe I’ll be nominated for a medical breakthrough award!! 
Who knew all this could happen with a simple Soy Chai Latte from Starbucks! You don’t have to go to Starbucks to get one, almost any coffee shop will make them. For a guy like me who doesn’t drink coffee or consume much caffeine, the Soy Chai Latte in a ‘short’ has 50g of caffeine, a ‘tall’ has 75g and a ‘grande’ has 100g of caffeine!! Wooo-hoooo! Who made up the names for cup sizes at Starbucks by the way? What the heck was wrong with small, medium and large? Anyway, talk about a pick-me-up! Caffeine is a stimulant that is naturally occurring in coffee, tea, cocoa, yogurt and some frozen desserts. It is also an additive in soft drinks, energy drinks, gum, and some waters.
A great deal of research has investigated the possible role of caffeine in ADD/ADHD. Caffeine is a psychoactive stimulant drug, which can increase alertness and reduce drowsiness, as noted on Psychcentral.com. No doubt a little caffeine helps me out and seems as I don’t even like coffee, the discovery of the Soy Chai Latte has been great. However, when it comes to younger people and kids with ADD/ADHD consuming ccaffeine, an immature neurological systems inability to tolerate it can have serious effects. Excessive caffeine use damages the attention capacity that children need to cooperate in play, family and school environments. With all that noted, caffeine and the Soy Chai Latte may be a fun little boost that could help your focus and concentration. Please keep in mind that caffeine may not be right for you either. Be careful.
Let me tell you, life is good right now! It seems like everything has come together, after so much work and effort. Exactly what is going well? Thanks for asking, that’s 
very thoughtful of you!! It would be quicker to tell you what isn’t going well, but nobody wants to listen to me whine. However right now the positives are parenting, the relationships I share with my kids, family, friends, finances, my career, my health & physical conditioning and most importantly…….my personal state of mind with managing ADD. A lot of this success I am experiencing takes me back to a period in life a number years ago when I was not doing so well. A life and the path one travels can sure take an interesting journey and for me, all the little things I worked on stand out for me in retrospect. Things like dedicating myself to an exercise program, proper nutrition, organization & scheduling, ADD coaching and many other things that I worked on refining my life.
The one tip I would offer any ADD’er who reads this and may be looking for some answers or direction, never stop learning or growing. My ADD Coaching process has been great and I am reaping the rewards of my efforts. I decided that I needed to be proactive and prepare myself for some adversity and challenge that always seem to arise in anyone’s life, especially when things are going well.
We all tend to get a false sense of being when things are going well, like we are invincible and the good times will always last. I think that is dangerous, it can result in complacency and if you have ADD or know anyone who does…… complacency and ADD is a bad recipe. I figured it was time for a tune up, the same thing you would do with your car, you know, an oil change, new spark plugs and a timing belt to ensure things kept running smoothly.
So I have begun what I call my quarterly tune up. Every quarter (every 3 months) I do a self evaluation of my life and goals. This evaluation is based on “The Wheel of Life” and the 8 categories of analysis; 1) Career 2) Money 3) Health 4) Friends & Family 5) Significant Other 6) Personal Growth 7) Fun & Recreation and 8 ) Physical Environment.
So I now begin another journey of self awareness and growth. I’m sure I’ll be running smooth with a good oil change! What about you?
