Ep 136: The Alcohol - ADHD Connection | Rethinking Alcohol |

Why does alcohol seem to have a different, more intense pull for some people - and could undiagnosed ADHD be the missing piece of the puzzle? In this episode, Anna Donaghey is joined by Matt Wing, a midlife mentor who spent over 30 years in a cycle of high achievement and high-functioning drinking, before a late ADHD diagnosis reframed everything.

Together, they explore the misunderstood relationship between ADHD and alcohol use, bust the myth that it’s a simple willpower problem, and break down the real, neurological drivers behind compulsive drinking.

Highlights:

00:00 Intro: Meet Matt Wing, midlife mentor, exploring ADHD and alcohol

01:13 Decades of "normal" drinking and the invisible exhaustion under it

04:45 Compulsive self-fixing, failed solutions, and obsessive searching

06:12 The pink book, ADHD traits, and why self-help didn't always land

10:21 ADHD as a chronic dopamine deficit

11:08 Instant dopamine hits: why nothing's enough

12:44 Why attempts to cut down usually fail: it's not a "willpower" issue

15:03 Alcohol's social acceptance hides its true addictiveness

18:02 ADHD drinking: urgency, intensity, and chasing the unattainable