Coping with ADD
Poker players probably have the highest rate of serious ADD of any group I can think of. There's a real synergy between the game and the condition. On the one side, the constant stimulation, the emotions generated by winning and losing, and the low-effort mental exercise are all very attractive to the ADD personality. On the other side, there are also certain ADD characteristics that are advantageous for playing poker -- being ADD is sometimes like being "supercharged" (not my word), and although people with the disorder have difficulty structuring their lives and tasks, frequently when they finally engage in an activity they can exhibit "hyperfocus", which leads to heightened sensitivity and intuition, and the ability to sift through a huge amount of input data efficiently. Also I think the impulsivity that goes with ADD contributes to ones likeliness of playing poker at all, and also to the "guts" it takes to pull the trigger on very risky plays that are necessary to long-term success in tougher games. Lastly, the freedom that being a professional poker player offers is very appealing to ADD players who find their normal jobs much more taxing -- if they can manage them at all. (I believe even DS cited this as a reason why he decided to be a professional gambler rather than a businessman or academic)
So based on all of that, I assume that a lot of you in this forum are ADD. I would be interested in hearing what strategies you guys have found effective as far as coping with the disorder. For example, have you found it more effective to run away from structured commitments that you find too difficult (the "eliminate roadblocks" strategy), or have you structured your life very rigidly so that your ADD manifests the least (the "develop routines" strategy)? Are there certain goals or aspirations that you have recognized as unrealistic and just given up on? If you are taking meds, 1) how do you keep from having your ADD interfere with your taking them, and 2) what kinds have you found most effective for you? The type like wellbutrin or amphetamine salts (or to a lesser extent, slow-release ritalin) that try to keep you balanced, or the short release (4 hour) ritalin that basically gives you a boost to get through whatever you're doing? From the poker side of things, if you are trying to lead a normal life in addition to your poker playing (job, kids, etc), do you find that poker brings out the best of your ADD or the worst of it? I'm interested in any and all tricks of the trade or helpful coping mechanisms you might employ.
If you don't believe that ADD exists or you want to vent about how we are overmedicating our kids or whatever, please take those thoughts elsewhere. I'd like to hear from people who take this stuff seriously, especially those who deal with it on a daily basis. And no I'm not doing a research project.
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