ADHD & Substance Use Workshop

What is it about ADHD that makes people more likely to use substances as a way to cope? Do people with ADHD begin using substances for different reasons than those without ADHD? Why do many people change their substance usage post-diagnosis? These questions and more will be answered in this workshop exploring the often-overlooked link between ADHD, addiction, and substance use.

This session will be non-shaming, neuroaffirmative, and evidence-based in a way accessible to all. It will explore how ADHD traits may contribute to substance use whilst also acknowledging how society’s responses to neurodivergent people play a role in unhelpful coping strategies. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, supporting someone with ADHD, or working in health or education, this session will provide insight, compassion, and practical tools for understanding the relationship between neurodivergence and substance use.

Workshop Highlights:

• Examine how ADHD traits like impulsivity and emotional dysregulation can contribute to substance use
• Unpack why conventional prevention often fails neurodivergent people
• Discover how delayed diagnosis and unmet needs shape substance use patterns
• Learn practical strategies for support and get your questions answered in real-time

About your host:

Dr Tom Nicholson is an Assistant Professor of mental health nursing and a speaker, trainer, and advocate for neurodiversity and ADHD. Tom's PhD project explores the lived experiences of parents whose children are undergoing ADHD assessment, listening to, and retelling their changing stories over a period of two years: From waiting list, to diagnosis, to living with a diagnosis. Diagnosed with ADHD in childhood, Tom uses his personal lived experience of ADHD alongside his clinical and academic background to give a multitude of perspectives to his work.

Testimonials from our guests

⭐ It was insightful, interesting, engaging, informative, educational & fun all wrapped up in one talk. - Anon

⭐ Brilliant well paced talks for us ND folks.- Christine K

⭐ It felt like a really great session with well rounded knowledge and it felt like a safe space with a safe speaker who genuinely cared and understood the shared experience. - Anon