As Kerry (the brilliant bipolar CIA agent) said on one of the latest episodes of HBO’s Homeland “my impulse control is not so good.”
You just do the thing. You don’t think it through. Or you do think it through for a second. Or the thought that you should think it through flits through your head briefly, but you’re too into the impulse to pay it any mind. You’re excited about the thing: you’re so into it. And then you just do the thing.
Yell at your kid. Tell your boss you’ll do it. Click “buy” online for something you can’t afford or don’t need or promised yourself you wouldn’t acquire. Invite someone for dinner when you had plans with your mate for a quiet night. Order and eat a large dessert after weeks of being on a good food plan.
If you happen to be an addict (and there are many kinds) or have an addictive personality, you could pick up a drink, substance, food, or behavior as quickly as that: as if someone else was using your arm or mouth to take the thing or say the words. Addiction is an awful thing. And a significant percentage of people with ADHD are on the spectrum vis a vis addiction/addictive behaviors. And pairing ADHD’s impulsivity with a propensity to abuse substances and behaviors, makes staying “sober” even harder.
How do you control your impulsivity? Do you recognize it?
Awareness is the first step.
