Why So Many Adults with ADHD Turn to Alcohol, Cannabis, and Cocaine

Many adults with ADHD self-medicate with alcohol, cannabis, or cocaine, but why? The answer lies in brain wiring. ADHD affects dopamine regulation, emotional control, and impulsivity, making substances that offer fast relief especially appealing.

I was diagnosed with ADHD at 14. I spent 10 years using cannabis daily to manage overwhelm, anxiety, and racing thoughts.

Through my work in addiction treatment marketing, and hundreds if not thousands of conversations with others, I see a common thread:

ADHD brains are wired for stimulation but struggle with regulation. Alcohol can quickly ease social anxiety or quiet rejection sensitivity. Cannabis helps slow mental chatter or soothe sensory overload. Cocaine offers a short-lived dopamine surge, a compelling draw for ADHD brains that are often under-stimulated.

But these temporary fixes come at a cost. ADHD impulsivity and reward-seeking tendencies make the risk of addiction much higher. What starts as “just taking the edge off” can rapidly spiral into dependency.

This article breaks down:

Why ADHD increases vulnerability to substance use
How alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine affect the ADHD brain
Why self-medicating often leads to addiction
What healthier support and treatment options look like

If you’ve ever wondered why so many people with ADHD end up in this cycle, or how to break free, read on.

Why People with ADHD Are More Vulnerable to Alcohol, Cannabis, and Cocaine Use

People with ADHD are up to 3 times more likely to develop substance use problems than the general population. Why? It starts in the brain.

ADHD disrupts the dopamine reward system — the part of the brain that controls motivation, pleasure, and habit formation.
When dopamine is dysregulated:

You feel chronically understimulated or restless
You struggle to start or sustain tasks
You seek ways to “fix” this imbalance fast

Alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine offer temporary dopamine boosts which is why so many adults with ADHD turn to them.

Alcohol increases dopamine and lowers social anxiety — appealing to those with ADHD-driven rejection sensitivity.
Cannabis calms sensory overload and racing thoughts — offering relief from ADHD-related overwhelm.
Cocaine floods the brain with dopamine — creating an intense high that feels “right” to an under-stimulated ADHD brain, but quickly becomes addictive.

From my own experience: I used cannabis for over 10 years. I thought it was helping me “switch off” after a busy ADHD-fuelled day. In reality, I was self-medicating an underlying dopamine imbalance — a pattern I now recognise in many others.

Here’s what’s critical to understand:

ADHD increases not just interest in these substances, but actual neurological vulnerability to dependency.
The impulsivity and emotional dysregulation of ADHD further accelerate this risk.

That’s why it’s more common for adults with undiagnosed or unmanaged ADHD to slide into regular alcohol use, habitual cannabis use, or, in some cases, stimulant drug use like cocaine.

Next, we’ll explore how this self-medicating pattern often develops and why it can be so hard to break.

How the Self-Medication Loop Starts and Why It’s So Hard to Break

It often begins without realising it. Many adults with ADHD start using alcohol, cannabis, or sometimes cocaine to “take the edge off” — to manage stress, social situations, or sleep.

At first it works, or seems to:

Alcohol makes socialising easier, calms racing thoughts
Cannabis helps quiet sensory overwhelm or insomnia
Cocaine delivers focus, energy, or temporary confidence

But here’s the hidden danger:

These substances artificially boost dopamine.
The ADHD brain starts relying on them to feel “normal.”

This is the self-medication loop:

ADHD symptoms cause stress and overwhelm
You use alcohol, cannabis, or cocaine for relief
Dopamine spikes temporarily – but then drops lower
ADHD symptoms worsen (more anxiety, more impulsivity, more executive dysfunction)
You use again, chasing balance and the cycle deepens

Over time, this loop rewires the brain:

The more you use, the more dopamine dysregulation you create
Tolerance builds – so you need more for the same effect
Addiction risk rises – especially for impulsive ADHD brains

From my lived experience:

I thought cannabis was helping me cope with ADHD overwhelm. In truth, it was locking me into a loop where I couldn’t self-regulate without it – and my ADHD symptoms were getting worse, not better.

Why it’s so hard to break:

ADHD itself makes resisting this loop difficult:

Impulsivity drives “just this once” decisions
Emotional dysregulation triggers reactive use
Poor dopamine baseline makes life feel “flat” without substances

And for many, this happens long before they even know they have ADHD.

In the next section, I’ll explain how undiagnosed ADHD and trauma can deepen this trap and why proper understanding is key to real recovery.

Why Undiagnosed ADHD and Trauma Make the Self-Medication Trap Even Deeper

Here’s a pattern I see over and over, and lived myself:

Many adults with ADHD have no idea they have it. Even fewer understand the link between ADHD and trauma.

So they blame themselves:
“Why can’t I handle life?”
“Why do I keep making the same mistakes?”
“Why can’t I stop drinking/smoking/using?”

Here’s what’s really happening under the surface:

Undiagnosed ADHD = constant inner struggle

Without diagnosis or support, life with ADHD feels chaotic:

Racing thoughts
Overwhelm
Low self-esteem (from years of “failure”)
Emotional storms you can’t explain
Boredom

So when alcohol, cannabis, or cocaine offer relief — it feels like the only thing that works.

ADHD + trauma = higher addiction risk

Research shows many adults with ADHD also have a history of childhood trauma:

Bullying
Emotional neglect
Chaotic home life
School struggles

Trauma + ADHD makes the nervous system even more reactive. Substances can start to feel like a double-edged survival tool.

Shame makes it harder to seek help

When you don’t know ADHD is driving your behaviour, you think:

“I’m just weak.”

“I’m broken.”
“I don’t deserve help.”

That shame locks people deeper into addiction and further from the right support. There’s enough shame and stigma around addiction, but there’s still plenty of stigma and ignorance around ADHD too.

I used cannabis for 10 years trying to manage an ADHD brain I didn’t understand alongside past trauma I hadn’t processed.

In the next section, I’ll share what recovery really takes for ADHDers and why standard addiction treatment often isn’t enough.

Why “Just Stopping” Rarely Works for ADHD Brains

If you’ve ever told yourself, “I’ll just stop smoking,” “I’ll quit drinking after this weekend,” or “No more cocaine starting tomorrow,” only to find yourself back in the cycle… it’s not a lack of willpower. It’s how ADHD brains are wired.

The ADHD Brain and Impulse Control

ADHD is fundamentally an issue with executive function – the part of the brain responsible for self-regulation, planning, and delaying gratification.

When dopamine is low (as it often is in ADHD), the drive for quick, reliable stimulation skyrockets. Substances like alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine hit this need hard – providing fast relief from boredom, overwhelm, or emotional discomfort.

The result? Even with the best intentions, the ADHD brain struggles to follow through on “just stop.” The desire to feel better now overrides the distant goal of long-term sobriety.

Emotional Regulation and Stress Reactivity

ADHD also amplifies emotional responses. Many of us experience rejection sensitivity, emotional flooding, and chronic stress from years of feeling “not good enough.”

When these states hit, substances become a well-worn coping path – calming the nervous system, numbing pain, or providing momentary escape. Telling an ADHD brain to simply “ride it out” without tools is like asking someone to hold their breath underwater.

The Self-Blame Trap

Unfortunately, repeated failed attempts to “just stop” lead to shame – which fuels the cycle further:
Shame → stress → craving → use → shame again.

What Works Instead

Neurodivergent-friendly coping tools that offer alternative dopamine pathways
Nervous system regulation for emotional spikes
Structured environments that remove decision fatigue
Therapies that address both trauma and ADHD (not just surface behaviour)

This is why ADHD-informed addiction support looks very different from typical treatment — and why it’s so much more sustainable.

My good friend and collaborator Ellyn was diagnosed with ADHD after a rehab visit – here’s our story on ADHD and Addiction

What Actually Helps: Support That Works for ADHD Brains

When you live with ADHD and turn to substances like cannabis or alcohol, it isn’t because you lack willpower. It’s because your brain is wired for stimulation, emotional intensity, and rapid shifts in state – substances temporarily meet those needs.

So what works when you finally want to break the cycle?

1. ADHD-Informed Support

Too many addiction services still treat everyone the same. But if your brain runs on fast dopamine, impulsivity, and rejection sensitivity, you need an approach that speaks to that reality.

ADHD-informed therapy helps you understand why self-medicating became your coping strategy. It also offers realistic alternatives.

2. Addressing Emotional Dysregulation

For many with ADHD, emotional overwhelm is the true driver of substance use. Approaches like DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy), trauma therapy, and parts work can help build emotional tolerance – the opposite of numbing out. This is also where holistic therapies like Sound Therapy can really help for self-regulation.

3. Reducing Shame

You cannot shame someone out of addiction, especially not someone with ADHD. The most effective support helps you separate your behaviour from your identity – reducing self-criticism and building self-compassion.

4. Practical, Structured Help

ADHD-friendly support needs to be clear, structured, and actionable. Vague advice won’t stick. Tools that build routine, regulate dopamine, and support executive function are key.

If this resonates with you, I’d recommend reading my piece on ADHD-Friendly Rehab – it covers what to look for (and what you really need) from treatment in more detail.

Finding Recovery That Actually Understands ADHD Brains

For years, I thought my struggle to moderate cannabis or compulsive behaviours was a personal failing. It wasn’t. It was an ADHD brain trying to self-soothe without the right tools. And when I looked for support, I hit wall after wall: generic addiction advice that didn’t match my wiring.

That’s exactly why I started writing these articles and why I’m building better resources now.

Here’s the truth: recovery for people with ADHD needs to be different. It needs to honour how we process emotion, how we experience stimulation, how our brains respond to reward, and how trauma intersects with it all. One-size-fits-all treatment models can leave us more stuck than supported.

But the tide is turning. More clinicians are recognising the ADHD–addiction link. More ADHD-friendly services like Abbington House are emerging (though you still have to look carefully — not every claim matches reality). And the more we speak up and share experiences, the more demand there is for treatment that truly fits our needs.

Final Thoughts: Addiction is the Solution, Not the Problem for ADHD Brains

If you’re an adult with ADHD who’s found yourself leaning on alcohol, cannabis, cocaine or any other substance, you are far from alone.

Most of us weren’t taught what ADHD really is. We weren’t taught about the dopamine traps, the sensory seeking, the self-soothing of trauma responses. We did what worked, even if it came at a cost.

The truth is: self-medication is not moral failure – it’s an adaptation. Once you understand the why, it opens the door to better understanding.

You Deserve Support That Gets It

Recovery is absolutely possible, but it’s not one-size-fits-all. For ADHD adults, the most sustainable path is one that acknowledges your wiring, your lived experience, and your resilience.

At Abbington House, we understand this because many of us have lived it too. Our approach to addiction recovery is trauma-informed, neurodivergence-aware, and deeply personalised. You won’t be forced into a rigid mould. You’ll be met where you are.

If you’re curious about what ADHD-friendly addiction treatment could look like for you:

Discover More About Abbington House’s Approach →

Why ADHD Adults Self-Medicate: Alcohol, Cannabis & Cocaine

About The Author

Rob Lloyd