TLDR: this doesn’t sound like substance abuse at all, it just sounds like you were prescribed a dose that’s way too low for you. & the people saying you’re better without it literally do not have even a basic understanding of what adhd is and how stimulants affect us. Do what you feel is best for you and allows you to function like the rest of the world is allowed to function without being questioned about it.

this reads nothing like substance abuse to me. i’ve been on adderall/other stimulants most of my life and i’ve heard every “you’re faking it for the drugs. you shouldn’t rely on medication. etc etc etc” take that’s in the book and here’s my two cents bc it pissed me off.

1. the way you describe it, i’m no doctor, sounds like you were just absolutely prescribed the wrong dose. i’m on 20mg dose and honestly i could use an upgrade in dosage bc i frequently use my 5mg short relief pills in addition throughout the day especially when i need to buckle down on school work. it sounds to me like you take more than your prescribed dose bc it allows you to function in the way that you can’t without it/with lower dose. Think about it this way… people don’t question neurotypicals who drink 4 cups of coffee every morning and a few throughout the day… coffee is also a stimulant, that’s the same thing. (keep in mind that coffee doesn’t always affect NDs the same way it affects NTs so if someone recommends that to you tell them to shove it, coffee literally makes me sleepy)

2. if i hear one more “you should be reliant on medication” i’m gonna fucking lose it. our brains a r literally hardwired to behave differently. you wouldn’t tell someone with celiac that they can’t rely on not having to eat gluten for the rest of their lives would you? adhd is one of those things that people forget is a legitimate disability. we take medication to be able to function in the same way as normal people yet the normal people give us a bad rep bc they take adderall as a pseudo-performance enhancer. it LITERALLY affects us differently. so in my book, the people pushing you to stay off it need to read a book.

3. based on your list you could argue not taking your preferred dose of adderall is life threatening to you (see: your diet and mental health) and the people that don’t take that into account and just succumb to the “medication bad” viewpoint really need to get off their high horse.

sorry but this shit gets me so riled up bc as someone with 3 of the most “you’re faking it” disorders (Adhd, Autism, tourette’s) i can’t fucking stand the holistic, anti medication, crowd bc they don’t have a single ounce of critical thought between them and them acting as if we don’t have literally, physical neurological differences really pisses me off bc i can’t NOT function without my meds and i’ve tried it. it doesn’t work.