excel at, I studiously avoided. However, the crisis of a deadline
offers excitement and challenge, which I, like many other ADD
individuals, have used to attain a level of success in my career.
Without the rush of an impending deadline, however, the
mundane tasks pile up, just like the laundry, dishes, yard
work and almost innumerable unfinished projects that started
with enthusiasm but lost momentum. In contrast, at work,
with a supervisor and/or deadline as motivation, tasks can be
completed. Is medication the answer to a lack of follow
through on unsupervised ventures? Furthermore, this need
for excitement or outside motivation may result in drug abuse
in individuals. Alcohol abuse affects 32-53% of adults who
have ADD, possibly because the disorder was not diagnosed in
childhood and the adult has turned to “self-medication”
(Kissel). One coworker shared with me that although he had
always been considered quite intelligent, his years of drug
abuse and addiction (while pursuing a career as an ironworker
building skyscrapers) were the result of life being boring and
unchallenging.
While ADD/ADHD manifests itself as behavior or selfdiscipline problems, researchers are unsure of the causes of
ADD/ADHD. Consensus in the medical community is that it is