Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder

by Edward M. Hallowell

Cocaine is in the class of drugs we call stimulants. Ritalin, one of the standard prescription medications for the treatment of ADD, is also a stimulant. Most people feel a rush of unfocused energy when they take cocaine. However, people with ADD feel focused when they use cocaine, just as they do when they take Ritalin. Rather than getting high, they suddenly feel clearheaded and able to pay attention. When those who don’t know they have ADD stumble upon cocaine, the drug seems like a cure in that it temporarily alleviates their ADD symptoms, and so they become chronic users. Interestingly enough, in the literature about cocaine, approximately 15 percent of addicts report feeling focused by the cocaine, rather than feeling high. This 15 percent probably have adult ADD and are self-medicating, albeit unwittingly, with cocaine.