ADD/ADHD & Shooting Your Best Pool

DJSTEVEZ

DJSTEVEZ

Professor of Human Moves
Silver Member
I've got adult ADD...definitely had it as a kid too. Comments on my grammar school report card read like the diagnostic criteria from the DSM. I cope by being one of those annoying compulsively over organized adults. I've tried meds as an adult (which made an amazing difference) but didn't like the side effects. Some experts say those with Adult ADD/ADHD make excellent multi-takers.

Anyways...If you have ADD/ADHD, how does it impact your pool game and what have you done to successfully cope with it wrt your pool game?


For me:, I play my best game when I'm very tired...which likely indicates a more even distribution of brain chemicals (which is the opposite "brain state" of when ADD/ADHD is kicking hard). If I'm not tired, a cup of coffee (whose caffeine stimulates the under secreted brain chemicals which creates ADD/ADHD) works well to help me focus and slow down.

I'm a full time Psychotherapist so if you have any questions about ADD/ADHD (or any other behavioral health issue) feel free to post below or to PM me. All PMs will be treated as confidential. -S
 
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I've always had to work harder at anything I tried to do.
So I mostly focused on things I had to do or enjoyed doing.
This resulted in becoming very good at a few things and suck at everything else.
 
Squirel!!!!

I was diagnosed early, then got run through the gamut of ADHD meds.....I wasn't a fan. Now that I'm older, it constantly messes with my life, so I've had to cone up with little tricks and techniques to get me through my day.
When it comes to pool, I tend to play best when I'm tired, I think because my brain slows down a little and I just operate on auto-pilot. One pocket also does a great job of helping me mentally calm down and find a good rhythm.
I might try medication again one of these days, so long as they don't turn me into a friggin' zombie.
 
DJSTEVEZ said:
I've got adult ADD...definitely had it as a kid too. Comments on my grammar school report card read like the diagnostic criteria from the DSM. I cope by being one of those annoying compulsively over organized adults. I've tried meds as an adult (which made an amazing difference) but didn't like the side effects. Some experts say those with Adult ADD/ADHD make excellent multi-takers.

Anyways...If you have ADD/ADHD, how does it impact your pool game and what have you done to successfully cope with it wrt your pool game?


For me:, I play my best game when I'm very tired...which likely indicates a more even distribution of brain chemicals (which is the opposite "brain state" of when ADD/ADHD is kicking hard). If I'm not tired, a cup of coffee (whose caffeine stimulates the under secreted brain chemicals which creates ADD/ADHD) works well to help me focus and slow down.

I'm a full time Psychotherapist so if you have any questions about ADD/ADHD (or any other behavioral health issue) feel free to post below or to PM me. All PMs will be treated as confidential. -S
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Have you ever heard of a correlation between ADD/ADHD symptoms and food dye? A few years ago our son was being pegged by his teachers as having ADHD and a testing indicated that may be the case as well. My wife while searching the net ran into several articles on the subject. We then put my son on an organic diet and removed anything with food dye from his diet, NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE!!! Food dye was triggering every single one of those ADHD type symptoms.... I've seen a few articles that suggest possibly as high as 80% of the children that are diagnosed as ADHD and on meds are dye sensitive and don't have ADHD at all.

Me as a grown adult can tell that dye effects me as well, if I have something with a lot of red dye in it my temper will swell and I'm ready to fight....

Its a ***** because dye is in just about everything but its worth reading labels and eliminating dye heavy stuff from your diet.
 
Guilty, I'm in the "ooh, look something shiny" set. Meditation will help you center yourself. I also tried meds & while they work it also made me feel less "myself". As an adult I find this syndrome actually more useful to my life than detrimental with the exception of its sometimes catastrophic effects on social interaction with others.
 
Interesting little factoid, there are more ADD/ADHD folks who are millionaires and who have genius level IQs (140 and over) than their non-ADD/ADHD counterparts in the general population.
I don't remember where I read that, but I've heard those stats multiple times over the years. -S
 
Colonel said:
Guilty, I'm in the "ooh, look something shiny" set. Meditation will help you center yourself. I also tried meds & while they work it also made me feel less "myself". As an adult I find this syndrome actually more useful to my life than detrimental with the exception of its sometimes catastrophic effects on social interaction with others.
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Here comes tip #2... LOL. I too at times have had the same "Ooh, look" and have been easily distracted. A year or so ago my doctor ran blood work on me and found I was very low on Vitamin D. Once my levels were within range all of the distractive behaviors were gone and I could focus much better. Now the tell tale sign that I need to hit the Vitamin D is when they come back.
 
The Saw said:
Have you ever heard of a correlation between ADD/ADHD symptoms and food dye? A few years ago our son was being pegged by his teachers as having ADHD and a testing indicated that may be the case as well. My wife while searching the net ran into several articles on the subject. We then put my son on an organic diet and removed anything with food dye from his diet, NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE!!! Food dye was triggering every single one of those ADHD type symptoms.... I've seen a few articles that suggest possibly as high as 80% of the children that are diagnosed as ADHD and on meds are dye sensitive and don't have ADHD at all.

Me as a grown adult can tell that dye effects me as well, if I have something with a lot of red dye in it my temper will swell and I'm ready to fight....

Its a ***** because dye is in just about everything but its worth reading labels and eliminating dye heavy stuff from your diet.
Click to expand...

Im no doctor but have done a lot of internet research on ADD/ADHD and depression more on depression . I bet it wasn't the the dye it was the diet. I refuse to do drugs, I did drugs in high school and my best friend hung himself because of drugs. anti- depressants and what not. I didn't want to get caught up in that loop of the anti depressants making me depressed than the doctor just gives me more. So I researched natural ways to combat my issues. and a good healthy diet is key. When I eat I try and eat food that are not processed . lots of fruit and vegetables real meat ,chicken , and fish. Made a world of difference. Your body needs the right nutrients to put the right chemical in the right place at the right time. I was having bad thoughts on a daily basses its been 3 years since I changed my diet and haven't had a bad thought yet. Like I said Im no doctor but every one can benefit from eating right.
 
Popeye31 said:
Im no doctor but have done a lot of internet research on ADD/ADHD and depression more on depression . I bet it wasn't the the dye it was the diet. I refuse to do drugs, I did drugs in high school and my best friend hung himself because of drugs. anti- depressants and what not. I didn't want to get caught up in that loop of the anti depressants making me depressed than the doctor just gives me more. So I researched natural ways to combat my issues. and a good healthy diet is key. When I eat I try and eat food that are not processed . lots of fruit and vegetables real meat ,chicken , and fish. Made a world of difference. Your body needs the right nutrients to put the right chemical in the right place at the right time. I was having bad thoughts on a daily basses its been 3 years since I changed my diet and haven't had a bad thought yet. Like I said Im no doctor but every one can benefit from eating right.
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No, it is the dye.... We have since laxed on all organic and that doesn't make much difference. The one tell tale test with dye is to buy a food coloring kit in the baking section and put a few drops of dye under your tongue or the childs. Several parents have done that exact test inside of doctors offices or schools to prove the dye sensitivity, they will take their child that is perfectly calm and collected and put a drop or two of dye under their tongue, they go berserk a moment or two later.
 
I also have add/adhd. I've had it for all my life... When i was younger i took medication for it (Ritalin). I could only take half the pill cause a whole pill would put me to sleep. I hated taken it.. Made me like a zombie. I did horrible in school.. All i wanted to do was ride my bicycle.

I have a terrible memory, i count things constantly, songs get stuck in my head very easily. I have a very hard time remembering someone's name I just met two minutes ago. I'm either thinking of something or I'm moving, mainly shaking my foot or legs.

When I'm told to do something it has to be direct and to the point.

I have an addictive personality i guess and that's why i love pool.. It's addicting to me, i wish i had more time to play. I've recently quit playing video games all together and it's now pool.. I think about it a lot!

I've also found out reading books is actually enjoyable.
 
Darkridder said:
I also have add/adhd. I've had it for all my life... When i was younger i took medication for it (Ritalin). I could only take half the pill cause a whole pill would put me to sleep. I hated taken it.. Made me like a zombie. I did horrible in school.. All i wanted to do was ride my bicycle.

I have a terrible memory, i count things constantly, songs get stuck in my head very easily. I have a very hard time remembering someone's name I just met two minutes ago. I'm either thinking of something or I'm moving, mainly shaking my foot or legs.

When I'm told to do something it has to be direct and to the point.

I have an addictive personality i guess and that's why i love pool.. It's addicting to me, i wish i had more time to play. I've recently quit playing video games all together and it's now pool.. I think about it a lot!

I've also found out reading books is actually enjoyable.
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When I was young, they never heard of ADD so I never took meds but other than that, it sounds just like me.
I also discovered I have dyslexia.
 
Hi guys.
Totally loving this thread.
I too was diagnosed when I was little. Never took any meds.
Martial arts helped me focus and have self control.
And pool now is what helps me the most. It keeps me focused and relaxed and I just love it. Just need to learn how to better deal with my social phobia and stress control on tournaments. It's when I start loosing focus on the game and star looking around.
I wish I could play in tournaments with headphones :cool:
 
I've never got any diagnosis but my ex made some test from internet and said she's 99% sure I got ADHD..
I'm been always into any games. 7-15 I played chess competitive. Then I played one year table tennis also competitive. Then I found pool and got hooked right away. When I was 20+ I also played some competitive Bridge. Won some big tournaments but never got into it seriously. I also had years of kick boxing and fight matching younger.

My teachers at any school wanted me to take some high education stuff but I never studied anything at school seriously.. Or maybe history. They always told my parents I should be something special but I did not want it.
I normally go for something new and almost master it then I get lost to motivation of that.
Pool has been only thing at my life where I never got bored. It's just be so challenging and always learn new things about that.
 
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