ADD and Cannabis

Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, is a brain difference that affects children as well as adults, despite their gender.

One main physiological disadvantage of ADD/ADHD is the brain's shortage of dopamine. Dopamine is a very important neurotransmitter that your body makes, that effects many parts of your behavior and physical functions such as learning, attention, motivation, sleep, mood, heart rate, pain processing etc. If you're low on dopamine, it can get in the way of your normal day to day activities.

Another downside of this disorder is that not many people talk about it, because not many understand it. Plenty of people even believe it not to even exist. But if you're like me and were diagnosed, you understand that it is absolutely a real thing and it affects EVERYTHING.

I got my diagnosis when I was 18. I mean, I had to almost fail out of high school before someone told me why, but I finally got it and that was only the beginning. All throughout my life I often questioned my intelligence. I could never understand why I always felt so out of place from all the other kids. I heard these words all too often from my teachers, "She is not working up to her full potential", "She is always the last one done", "She won't stop talking during class" and my favorite "She's lazy". To be honest, I did not know what to expect from college.

I think we're all pretty familiar with the fact, that when you turn 18, you're pretty much on your own. I did my quick research on it in my last year of high school. I learned all about the details, the accommodations that came along with it and...the medication that was available to treat it. I have been on my share of stimulants and to be honest I didn't love it. To each their own of course, but for me, being on medication felt like I was a prisoner of my own mind. Having ADD/ADHD can be very frustrating. It is often underrated and people often feel alone with it.

Unfortunately, ADD also goes hand in hand with depression, anxiety, impulsivity and irritability. Which also sucks. Having ADD can make something as "simple" as normal everyday tasks very hard to do and it often comes along with feelings of being misunderstood.

The more I evolved throughout my cannabis journey, I learned more and more about how cannabis can be used to help manage ADD/ADHD symptoms. From my experience it does help, especially if you microdose using a sativa or hybrid strain. Remember to learn your dose, of course to see how your body's chemistry works with it. Always have drinking water close by as well.

Sativa is a natural stimulant which in term can help with your focus and concentration. That's a necessity if you're a mother, a wife, a student, etc. Where as a hybrid strain not only helps to improve your focus and attention but it can also help calm the overactive parts of your brain that comes along with ADD/ADHD, so you can relax and get a good night's rest.

From my experience, cannabis has helped me feel like a more dynamic version of myself. I am able to follow recipes with ease, I feel more organized, more productive and more social. It also helps regulate my sleep as well.

Athena's Gifts has plenty of flowers and edibles to choose from. Just browse through our menu to see how you can donate to get gifted. We are in the District so for if you're a DC resident wondering where to get weed, let us help you feel more productive so you can grab life by the bud. Happy toking!