

Discover more from Drug Free ADHD
đ¨ Iâm teaching my ADHD Toolkit in Brighton on 14th June.
Just a few tickets left!
âThe only permanent solution to your problems is to go inside and let go of the part of you that seems to have so many problems with reality. Once you do that, youâll be clear enough to deal with whatâs left.â - Michael Singer
Weâre told that ADHD = a lack of dopamine.
For the purpose of this weekâs newsletter, letâs assume the hypothesis is correct.
We chase dopamine. We chase it hard.
- Shiny objects
- New careers
- New cars.Â
- New, fill in the blank, stuff.
Once in a while, that impulsivity leads to great things. I used the energy on a dopamine high to write the first edition of this newsletter.
Dopamine chasing can be a good thing.
But often it's not.
Scratch that. Itâs almost always NOT a good thing.
This year Iâve started 9 online courses. And completed none!
Iâve bought shit I didnât need â which now lives under the stairs.
I bought 5 domain names. Including the pseudonym I created to try it out as a fiction author.Â
In 2018, Kayleigh and I went on 7 holidays. I booked them all while on previous holiday's. The pain of returning home, to normality, was too much. So I went dopamine chasing and booked another trip.
Why so bad? Because itâs all about escaping reality.
Michael Singer, said âhumans are not social creatures, they just canât handle the noise in their heads when theyâre aloneâ.
Thatâs so painfully true it almost kills me to read it.
We are so scared of facing the voice in our head when weâre alone that weâd rather be eternally busy or never not in the presence of others.
I know what youâre thinking. That humans are social creatures.
We are, in fact, pack animals. We are social. But only because we've not gone deep enough.
Yogis, the highest spiritual beings, head to the mountains to be alone when they reach the highest possible states.
They do this because they've cleared away all the internal garbage we hang onto (our likes and dislikes, for example).
After that they experience absolute bliss. They don't need anything or anyone because the feelings of bliss are buried deep inside.Â
We all have it in us to reach those high states. But that state (of absolute bliss) is blocked by all the garbage we put on top of it.
I know weâre getting deep here but itâs important.
This is directly connected to why weâre impulsive. We DO NOT want to face ourselves, so we clog up our lives with new stuff, new projects, new events.Â
And thereâs nothing wrong with that. Really, there isnât.
But it is the reason weâre struggling with the consequences of our unbridled impulsivity.
Right, so how do we deal with that?
We learn to let go
There is nothing more important to true growth than realising that youâre not the voice of the mind â you are the one who hears it.
When an impulsive thought arises, we acknowledge it. We acknowledge that itâs not us and then we let it go.
This will be VERY HARD.
But with practice it gets easier.
All the great philosophers and spiritual teachers, from Seneca to Buddha, taught this.
Itâs the path of surrender.Â
Not surrender to everything. Itâs not about renunciation. Itâs about not listening to the voice in your head when it tells you to buy another online course â because this time it will make you happy.
Did the last thing you bought make you happy?
Truthfully?
The last thing I bought made me happy for 10 seconds.Â
Which proves to me that the voice in my head doesnât know what I want. Iâd be better off shaking a magic 8-ball than listening to it.
So instead I let it go.
Still struggling to grasp it? I understand, this is extremely counter-intuitive to everything weâve ever been taught.
So Iâm going to hand you over to the master of surrender, Michael Singer:
His course, a masterpiece in breaking esoteric concepts into practical and useful tactics, Living From A Place Of Surrender will guide you through every step of learning to let go.
đŁ SHOUTOUT
A wonderful startup supporting young neurodivergent people and their parents just launched!
Theyâre called Uncommon.
Their unique online group programs, led by autistic or ADHD professionals, are boosting self-esteem for young neurodivergent people and their parents:
Parents report significant improvements in their child's self-esteem and a decreased sense of isolation.
The programs are designed to be low demand, making them effective for those with anxiety.
Neurodivergent peer supporters are present in every session.
3-part courses available this term start at just ÂŁ60, with provisions for low-income families.
More opportunities await at www.bemoreuncommon.com:
Avoid dopamine chasing
I was due to go to your talk in Liverpool this week before it got postponed till October. Have you ever considered doing an online talk that could be accessible for people irrespective of area (or fatigue after work)? I realise life happens, but I am disappointed in having to wait till October.