The ticket i’ll never stop paying for. The story behind my story

People with adult ADHD get more than our fair share of tickets. You may dismiss that as a minor impact of ADHD, but it has consequences most people don’t see.

Like a canceled family vacation.

Many years ago, I was driving, too fast as usual. I was speeding, my coping mechanism for watching the road instead of the scenery.

I got pulled over by the police.

Then it started. The officer discovered that my registration was expired: I’d forgotten to renew it several months earlier. This, too, is no surprise to any adult with ADHD.

But this was the week before our family’s summer vacation, visiting family in a different province and camping along the way. The children were excited to see their cousins, and my wife Linda and I were looking forward to the change of scenery.

But the cost of the speeding ticket, the ticket for the unregistered vehicle, and the car registration drained our vacation fund. Vacation was canceled. The children were devastated. It was just one more thing that was my fault.

People with ADHD are often poor drivers. It can be difficult to focus on the road as distractions pass on either side, so we deal with it by driving fast. The rush of adrenaline helps us focus, and it also helps overcome our poor time management skills, as we’re always late for something.

Before I was diagnosed with ADHD and treated, I wrote off four vehicles. I also repeatedly placed my family and friends in danger, not to mention myself.

Since my diagnosis, I never drive unmedicated. And I’ve learned to give myself plenty of time to get there safely and on time.

Approximately 5% of adults have ADHD. About 85% are undiagnosed.

ADDA can steer those people off the wrong roads, the ones that are going nowhere good. But we need your help: your membership, your donations, your time, and your sharing of our messages.

No one should have to cancel a family vacation because of ADHD. Or have something far worse happen. That’s no story any of us want to hear. We’ve heard too many.

You can help ADDA rewrite them. Please join. Please give.

Duane Gordon, ADDA President