Coping with ADD

[Idiotex]

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This thread has hit home for me. I never really put much thought into whether or not I had ADD, but I certainly have a lot of the symptoms you guys are talking about. I always did pretty well in high school; show up, take test, easy enough. But when I got to college I found out I was a really horrible student. I always just thought it was basically a motivation issue, and that my school was a tough school, blah blah. And while it's true that you need to apply yourself, I think it's definitely easier for some people. Some people definitely have a natural organizational edge.

Waking up on time, scheduling time to study, meeting deadlines, and all that stuff is easier said than done for some people. And reading. I HATE to read. Even if it's something that interests me, the actual reading is a chore (the stimulation of learning is sort of separate, and what ultimately drives me to do it). But being forced to read a certain set of pages, forget about it. Even if I really made myself sit down and crank it out, my mind would wander so much that I'd get very little out of it. Reading internet forums is really a good way for me to learn stuff, I guess because of the way it's broken down, and the personal aspect (and occasional interaction) helps stimulate me. But even longer posts on here I just can't bring myself to read, even if it's something that I think would interest me.

I've always been bad with those things (organization, deadlines, reading), but good with small, concentrated tasks. Like Pete said in the OP, some people don't see it as a disorder, but more a trade off. Personally, I like our side of the coin. Though I'm not sure what I would actually be doing if I didn't stumble upon poker a few years ago.

Another thing. Movies. If a movie sparks my interest, then I'm totally engaged in it. I'll enjoy it so much and catch every detail. But if someone else puts one on (say I'm hanging out with a few people) and it's not something that I particularly want to watch, I'll have a hard time even following basic plot lines. And I mean that quite literally. I'll just totally space out. I might occupy my mind by being intrigued by a certain person's accent, then wandering again, then maybe catching a stimulating scene or line or two. But I'm not really "following" the movie (even a blatantly simple one).

I've always had it in the back of my head that maybe I have some sort of (maybe mild) case of ADD, but I've never really bothered to connect the dots. After reading this thread, I think I'm in the same boat as a lot of you guys. I don't know if I really "have" ADD in the sense that the drugs would do much for me, but I certainly might. If nothing else, I exhibit similar behavior. I guess "it is what it is" in my mind, and I'm not too concerned about labeling it. I always thought it was just sort of the way I was, and didn't realize a lot of others had similar behavior patterns. This has been interesting to read.

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This thread has really hit home with me also. Some movies I become obsessed with every detail. But often I go to a friend's place they will have a movie on and I just can't stand it and have to get up and do something because I'm so bored. I'm so used to my poker / do whatever I want when I want lifestyle that I hadn't considered the ADD possibility seriously.