A recent cover story in Time Magazine, “How We Get Addicted” from their July 16, 2007 publication, got me thinking about addictions again. Specifically, those with ADHD and addictions. Addictions are common in adults who have ADD, and near-addictions and intermittent substance abuse are more the rule than the exception. This may be because of an inborn physiological problem that makes finding pleasure in ordinary ways much more difficult for the person who has ADD than for the person who doesn’t have it.
It is interesting that brains scans of addicts suggest that they have reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex. People with ADHD also show reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex.
