If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD, it is understandable if you have concerns about how this condition will affect your child’s future. There have been a few studies done that seem to have found an association between having ADHD and developing an addiction to nicotine and alcohol as an adult. However, these studies do not mean that all children who have ADHD are doomed to become addicted to substances.
It’s somewhat inconclusive. There was a study done that indicated an “association” between a childhood diagnosis of ADHD and a later dependence on nicotine and alcohol later in life. Two other studies, focusing on the connection between ADHD and marijuana and other drugs had mixed results. A study done by researchers at the U.C.L.A came to conclusion that kids who have ADHD have a strong risk of abusing marijuana, cocaine, and other drugs when they are older.
Another study, done by a different group of researchers at U.C.L.A also found an increased risk for marijuana and other drugs in people who had ADHD, but felt that the individual studies were too varied for the study to come to a strong conclusion about it. However, it seems that researchers feel that all of these studies, together, are persuasive.
Addiction is a complex thing to try and understand. A person can be at risk for developing an addiction because of genetic factors, but there are also environmental and emotional factors that play a part. One should not jump to the conclusion that children who have ADHD will all grow up to become substance addicted adults. However, it is worth noting that one of the symptoms of ADHD is low impulse control. This can make it somewhat more difficult for people who have ADHD to resist something that they want to have, do, or take.
Parents of children who have ADHD can do some things to reduce the risk that their child will become substance dependent. All parents should be monitoring their children, whether or not the child has ADHD. Make sure that you know where you child is at, who he or she is with, and what those friends are like. You are going to need to be more strict with your child that has ADHD than you would with a child who does not have the disorder. Be very consistent with both the rewards you give and the penalties you impose.
All parents should talk to their children about the dangers of smoking, of alcohol, and of other drugs. Parents of children who have ADHD may want to have that talk earlier than you might otherwise. In other words, waiting until your child is in high school to have that conversation may be too late. You should instead have that talk when your child is in the fifth or sixth grade.
I guess the overall message in this is simple. Don’t panic. Continue being the consistent, attentive, aware, parent that you already are, and you will have an influence on whether or not your child ends up becoming addicted to a substance. It’s not a 100% guarantee, but it does make a difference in many cases.
Image by Brian Rosner on Flickr