Alcohol and ADHD: Friends, Foes or Just a Fling?
It can feel like focus, calm, even clarity, but what seems like relief may be hijacking your ADHD brain, demanding an ever-increasing ransom to set you free.
Let’s start with the obvious: alcohol and ADHD are not a great mix. But for many of us, who have struggled with the symptoms of ADHD for many years, it’s been a long and complicated relationship. Maybe you’ve felt it too: that one drink turns into three. You feel sharper, more relaxed, and even motivated. But then you crash. Your sleep tanks, your mood flips, and the focus you thought you’d found disappears.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And there’s more going on than just bad decisions. There’s biology at play.
Why Alcohol Feels Good (At First)
Alcohol changes brain chemistry almost instantly. For someone with ADHD, where neurotransmitters like dopamine and glutamate are already running the show differently, the effect can be dramatic.
Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:
GABA goes up: This is your ‘chill out’ chemical. Alcohol boosts it, so you feel relaxed, sociable, and less overwhelmed.
Glutamate goes down: This is your brain’s ‘on switch’ for focus and memory. Alcohol suppresses it, slowing things down.
Dopamine spikes: This is the big one. ADHD brains often run low on dopamine. Alcohol gives us a rush that feels like clarity, control, even motivation.
Serotonin gets a bump: Mood improves, inhibition drops, emotional connection feels easier.
Histamine increases: Often overlooked, but important. ADHD brains tend to be more sensitive to inflammation. Alcohol can make that worse, contributing to overstimulation, poor sleep, and irritability.
That cocktail of effects explains why alcohol can feel like a quick fix, and why one drink often turns into three. The sensations it brings are, in every sense, intoxicating.
The Self-Medication Trap
It’s not unusual for people with ADHD to lean on alcohol as a coping mechanism, especially if they’re undiagnosed, unsupported, or just exhausted.
It can feel like alcohol ‘helps’:
‘Helps’ you focus
‘Helps’ you socialise
‘Helps’ you feel “normal”
But the more it becomes a regular part of managing life, the harder everything else becomes. Sleep suffers. Mood regulation dips. Executive function declines. You start needing more just to feel the same effects. And all the while, your brain’s natural systems are getting quieter.
A Fridge Metaphor (That Actually Works)
There’s a great analogy for this, credit to Annika at NutrimindLab (a great resource of nutritional information for ADHD) on TikTok, who nails it: Think of alcohol like takeout food.
If life is overwhelming, takeaway food helps in the moment. But if you keep relying on it, you stop shopping, cooking, or even wanting what’s in the fridge. Eventually, your fridge is bare, and the stuff that is left just doesn’t taste good anymore.
Your brain works the same way. Alcohol floods it with feel-good chemicals, so your brain stops making its own or stops responding properly to the ones you do have. And for someone with ADHD, who already has a hungrier brain, this happens faster and hits harder.
It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better
The crash is real. Over time, alcohol can make ADHD symptoms worse:
Lower baseline dopamine and serotonin
Increased irritability, brain fog, and poor sleep
More impulsive behaviour, less regulation
Harder time managing daily tasks and emotions
Some brain changes caused by long-term alcohol use can be hard to reverse. But the good news is that a lot of it can be reset. It just takes time. For some, that might be a few months. For others, it could be a year or more. Either way, it’s possible.
So, Should You Quit?
That’s up to you.
But if you’ve noticed alcohol affects you differently, if you’re using it to feel normal or productive, or if stopping is harder than you’d like, that’s a red flag worth paying attention to.
This isn’t about shame or “just saying no.” It’s about giving yourself a shot at feeling better long term, without relying on something that takes more than it gives.
Where This Blog Series Is Heading
We’ll be covering this topic in more depth in future posts, including:
How to support your brain while reducing alcohol
Dopamine-friendly swaps and supports
Real stories of what helped others cut back or quit
Because for the ADHD brain, alcohol isn’t just a bad habit, it’s a neurological trap.
Let’s find something better.
If our content helped you to start to make sense of it all?
At NeuroFX, we specialise in understanding the parts of you or your child that might have been misunderstood or misdiagnosed for years. We offer thorough, evidence-based assessments for ADHD and autism (ASD) in both adults and children, with a clear, supportive process from screening to diagnosis and treatment where needed.
Whether you’re exploring this for yourself, your child, or someone close to you, it starts with a conversation.
You can begin with our free online screening tools, or if you already feel ready, you’re welcome to book a full assessment directly.
We’re here when you’re ready.
