12 Steps for ADD

ADDers experience ineffective neuro-transmissions in the brain's prefrontal cortex. That's an area of the brain that provides our behavioral inhibition system and executive functions. So under stress or in a bad fit, we ADDers lose the ability to wait, inhibit behavior, and consider our actions. The more stress we face the harder it becomes to delay responses to our environment, prevent the urge to escape, curb unproductive or dangerous behavior, and protect concentration for mental focus. We also face losses with our working memory, sense of time, planning, self-control, self-evaluation, internal structure/organization, verbal thought, motivation, some fine motor skills, even the ability to learn from our mistakes. But don't despair. The 12 steps provide a power help to transform our lives, relationships, behaviors, repeated failures, moods, emotional sobriety, and just about every area of our lives. Really! As others have learned (from alcoholics and overeater to addicts, debtors, compulsive-shoppers, and workaholics), the 12 steps give us the 1) simplicity, 2) spirituality, 3) structure, and 4) support we need. The 12 steps is not a religious program—it's a spiritual way of life. And our best definition for spirituality is "being in proper relationship to the truth."