Which, in your opinion, is worse: Alcoholism or ADHD?

Alcoholism, hands down. ADHD people still have an easy capacity to be happy without the use of beer or other hard drinks.

Well, ADHD isn’t an addiction; so I say alcoholism is worse.

Why do you care when you don’t believe in one? Obviously you know one is worse than the other because it is real.

Alcoholism… because it costs money. :) I can run around for free.

@cbloom8 I’m just seeing what other’s think.

My girlfriend’s mom says she needs to go back on her childhood ADHD medication, & that she needs help. Said mother refuses to acknowledge that she is a severe alcoholic. I have never seen her drink a non-alcoholic beverage, & I’ve known her for 5 years.

far and away, alcohol is worse

High five! I don’t think ADHD is real, either.

@Draconess25

Alcoholics are Master Manipulators, and they accomplish their craft by claiming everyone else has a problem, everyone but themselves.

@meagan Honestly, if she has ADHD, then so do I. I’m usually bouncing off the walls! But I’ve never been diagnosed with it.

I seriously fail to understand why you even asked this question. Obviously being an alcoholic is worse than having ADHD. Alcoholism can kill you. ADHD doesn’t. Alcoholism is an addiction. ADHD isn’t. Alcoholism can kill innocent people (car accidents, etc.) ADHD doesn’t.
Did you ask it so you could slip your irreverent comment in there about ADHD not being real? Or because you’re naive enough not to know the answer to your own question? It seems to me that your motive was to spark some type of debate about ADHD not being real in an indirect way, therefore, it comes off as bit of a loaded question. The way you went about announcing your thoughts on ADHD I find to be rather snarky and off topic to your initial question.

”I’m usually bouncing off the walls! But I’ve never been diagnosed with it.”

You seriously need to educate yourself on what ADHD is. It isn’t only just about being hyper.

@Vunessuh Honestly, I’m just bored & pissed off. I do know the answer, but I wanted to see if someone (for some obscene reason) thought otherwise. Maybe it’s in the hopes of her mother somehow finding this website, seeing this question, & realizing that she’s a dumbass. Don’t expect logic from me. I usually go to bed way earlier than this.

I know its more than just hyperactivity. Point is, I have her exact “symptoms” but times 2. She’s actually not that hyper. She just never shuts up….

And what does snarky mean?

This is a pointless question.

oh adhd is real, trus me. my son is either adhd or bipolar

@Vunessuh .. you go girl

@Draconess25 “Snarky” is someone who acts like a smart ass know it all and insults the opinions of others to prevent an intelligent debate. “My way or the highway”.

@Vunessuh @thriftymaid

There is no such thing as a pointless question. There are only pointless answers.

@slick44

Yes, ADHD is very real. It is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and unfortunately used to blame many sorts of developmental problems upon when it shouldn’t be.

To ALL…

The validity of this question stands upon the fact that both Alcoholism and ADHD can affect families and individuals in ways that diminish the quality of life for people other than those who suffer from these illnesses. A parent dealing with a child suffering from ADHD will face issues that they believe cannot be any worse than they are. Same for a family dealing with an Alcoholic. Deciding which is worse to deal with is a completely subjective issue, and should not be used to diminish the suffering each can bring to those involved with one or the other.

If someone asks a question about these matters, there is nothing pointless about it at all. It can be used as an opportunity to educate and discuss, which may actually provide a possible pathway to the real point of this question, which is… to find peace and/or healing in the midst of suffering.

thank you. i deal with this issue every day. and no one takes you seriously

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Did I say the question was pointless? No.
I said I fail to understand why she asked the question and how it correlates with her question description. But thanks anyway.

ADHD is real, and diagnosable. It is over-diagnosed? Sure. But there is a legitimate problem with people being unable to focus their attention on a subject at hand.

However, alcoholism is far more destructive to the body than ADHD. As such, I say that it is worse than ADHD; at least if you’re hyperactive and unable to pay attention, you’re not manifestly harming your liver.

@Vunessuh
If you failed to understand why she asked the question, then why not just ask her? It is not necessary to proceed further with a presumed accusation as to why you think she must have asked, then back it up with insult.

Though you did actually answer the question from your particular point of view, and provide excellent examples to support your position, your reply seemed more motivated towards shooting down the why of the question than it was for opening a dialogue to provide the education that you wisely suggested.

Alcoholism will tear up your liver.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies If you reread my answer, I did ask her why, in which I got my answer. She was bored and pissed off. Fascinating.
If you reread my answer again, you’ll see that I didn’t insult her. Don’t confuse insult with honesty.
She said she wanted to know our opinion on which was worse: Alcoholism or ADHD. She then continues to inform us that she doesn’t think ADHD is real. This is where I told her that I found her remark rather snarky, irrelevant and loaded. Then, she says, “but I wanted to see if someone (for some obscene reason) thought otherwise” which makes the assumption that if anyone went against her opinion of ADHD being worse than alcoholism or being a real disorder, that their reasoning must automatically be obscene. This tells me that she was right off the bat not open to hearing other opinions that didn’t comply with her own. That, mixed with her being terribly ill-informed on what ADHD even is.
I don’t think it’s necessary for you to tell me how to answer a question or provide me with examples on what I should have said. I answered the question according to how she asked it. I questioned her motives because I felt they needed to be questioned. Asking the question is one thing, but making it a loaded question and going off topic while doing so is another. Wanting to know which is worse and then mentioning that ADHD isn’t even real are two totally different topics. Because of this, I felt the need to tell her that it sounded like she was indirectly trying to spark debate about ADHD even being a real disorder, rather than wanting to know which of the two was worse. I don’t feel like I shot her down, but I probably should have since she shot down plenty of people who are diagnosed with ADHD and then has the audacity to ask if it’s worse than alcoholism. These two things aren’t even in the same ballpark. At all.
Hope this helps you understand better where I’m coming from.

I believe ADHD is real after having lived with an ADHD partner. I also believe alcoholism is an addiction but not necessarily a disease and have lived with two alcoholics. I’m in the minority but I’ll take the alcoholic who stops drinking over the ADHD partner.

ADHD is most certainly real. Having lived with it all my life I can honestly say its the truth. Alcoholism though is a much bigger problem. Alcoholism can physically hurt people through things like drunk driving etc. while ADHD does not. That doesn’t mean that ADHD isn’t bad though. Not being able to concentrate on anything is really frustrating and can heavily impact your life. For example, ADHD children who cannot pay attention to schoolwork and are always hyperactive will probably have a harder time in their future then kids who were able to actually sit down and get their work done.

Drunks are worse.

Ah….all the interesting shit that goes on when I’m dreaming about dreaming about sex…...

You do know that alcoholism and ADHD aren’t even close to the same problem… so they can’t be fairly compared, right?
There are different severities of both.. and they can both impact your life in horrible ways.
So I’m gonna have to agree that this question is pointless.

The point was not made in the OP. However the point was made much more clearly in @Draconess25 first comment where she expressed her concern that an alcoholic mother was suggesting ADHD medication for her child. There in lies the comparison. Does an alcoholic, who has problems of her own, have any business recommending medication for the illness of another?

It’s reminiscent of the biblical parable where Christ recommends removing the plank from our own eye before passing judgment upon the smaller speck in the eye of another.

So, just to get things straight: there’s room in psychology for belief? For faith?

Yes, yes, I’m hardly one to talk. :P

My next door neighbour died due to alcoholism at the age of 46, leaving two young children without a father, leaving his family destitute because he’d spent every last penny on booze. This is not an isolated case. Theres no way ADHD can be compared with that.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies Fluther has broken that wisdom.

Interesting

Alcoholism can kill you. ADHD not so much.

Without question, ADHD is worse because an alcoholic can stop drinking and solve the problem.

A Person with ADHD who may not even know they have it, may inadvertently self-medicate with alcohol which as @Nullo points out could either kill you or cause you to flash their boobs at Mardi Gras for more beaded necklaces.

Stupid people are far more dangerous than either.