Why Neurodivergent Nervous Systems Reach For Substances

Think about what your system goes through on an ordinary day.

You may experience:

🎧 sensory overload
🧮 executive overload
🎭 masking and social performance
⚡ ADHD restlessness or under stimulation
🧯 chronic burnout

Substances are often used to adjust states when other tools are missing.

🍷 Alcohol

Common reasons ND adults drink include:

🌙 to switch off racing thoughts
🧊 to reduce social anxiety in groups
🔇 to dampen sensory input in noisy spaces

Alcohol can temporarily:

🌱 lower inhibition
🌱 blunt sensations
🌱 make social scripts feel easier

🌿 Cannabis

People may use cannabis to:

🌧 soften anxiety
🎧 reduce sensory intensity
🛏 help with sleep
🌫 detach from overwhelming feelings

It can provide a sense of distance from the world that feels like relief.

⚡ Caffeine and Energy Drinks

Caffeine is often used to:

🚀 force activation in ADHD and burnout
📚 focus enough to work or study
😴 push through exhaustion

For ND adults, energy drinks can feel like the only way to function at all.

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🌊 How These Strategies Help And Where They Bite Back

There is a reason your system chose these tools. There are also costs.

Short Term Help

Substances can give:

🌤 predictable changes in state
🌤 quick relief when you have no energy left for complex coping
🌤 socially accepted methods of regulation

For example:

🍷 social situations feel possible only with a drink
🌿 falling asleep seems to require cannabis
⚡ starting work seems to require energy drinks

Long Term Strain

Over time, patterns can appear:

🌪 needing more of the substance for the same effect
📉 worsening sleep and baseline anxiety
🧯 deeper burnout as your body never gets real rest
💸 financial strain and practical problems

Emotionally you may feel:

💭 ashamed of needing the substance
💭 scared of who you are without it
💭 trapped between suffering when you stop and fearing what happens if you continue

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🧭 Step One

Name The Function, Not Just The Substance

Instead of starting from “this is bad, I must quit”, start from:

🪞 “What does this do for my nervous system”

Examples:

🌱 “Alcohol lets me tolerate loud social spaces.”
🌱 “Cannabis makes my thoughts quieter enough to sleep.”
🌱 “Energy drinks are my only way to focus at work.”

This helps you see:

🧩 which needs are currently only being met with substances
🧩 where you might experiment with alternatives or changes

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🧰 Step Two

Add Regulation Tools Alongside, Not Instead Of

If you try to remove a substance that is doing all your regulation, your system will rebel. A gentler path is to add other supports first.

Options include:

🌿 sensory care
earplugs or headphones in loud places
softer lighting at home
comfortable clothing

🌿 body based regulation
gentle movement or stretching
rocking or pacing in safe spaces
weighted blanket or deep pressure

🌿 emotional support
talking or texting with safe people
journalling to externalise loops
ND informed therapy if accessible

The goal is not perfect sobriety overnight. It is to expand your toolbox.

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🧃 Step Three

Experiment With Small Reductions Or Swaps

If you want to change your use, tiny shifts are kinder than all or nothing.

Examples:

🍷 switching from strong spirits to lower alcohol options
🍷 having some alcohol free days or earlier stop times

🌿 trying days with smaller doses or strains that affect you less heavily
🌿 setting a “no cannabis right before difficult conversations” rule

⚡ replacing some energy drinks with coffee or tea
⚡ adding short naps or movement breaks where possible

Track gently:

📝 “How did my body and mood feel with this tweak”

not

❌ “Did I succeed or fail today”

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🧑‍⚕️ Step Four

Know When To Call In Extra Help

It is important to get more specialised support when you notice things like:

🚨 needing substances early in the day to feel normal
🚨 withdrawal symptoms when you try to cut down
🚨 serious impact on work, relationships or health
🚨 thoughts of self harm linked with using or stopping

This might mean:

🌱 talking honestly with a doctor if you have one you trust
🌱 looking for services that understand both addiction and neurodivergence
🌱 involving someone safe in your life in your plan

You deserve help that recognises the role of your ND nervous system and does not reduce everything to willpower.

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🌈 Bringing It Together

For ND adults, alcohol, cannabis and stimulants are often not random vices. They are attempts at self regulation when other supports are missing or inaccessible.

Your system reaches for:

🍷 to dampen
🌿 to distance
⚡ to force activation

These can help in the short term and harm in the long term.

You can honour both realities by:

🌱 understanding what each substance is doing for you
🌱 slowly adding non substance regulation tools
🌱 experimenting with tiny reductions and swaps
🌱 seeking extra support when things move beyond your safe control

You do not have to judge past you for using what was available. You can support current you in moving toward patterns that hurt less and still respect how intense it is to live in your body and brain.