Ep345 – ADHD and Alcoholism with Annette and JasonEp345 – ADHD and Alcoholism with Annette and Jason
Untoxicated Podcast
Annette and Jason talk about how alcohol use disorder and inattentive ADHD intertwined in their marriage, from "medicinal" drinking to misdiagnosis and relapse. Their story focuses on the partner’s burden, the relief of proper diagnosis, and how medication and honest work are helping them move forward together.
1:18:23•27 Apr 2026
ADHD, Alcohol, and a Marriage Under Strain: Annette and Jason’s Dual Diagnosis Story
Episode Overview
- Alcohol may temporarily sharpen focus or calm a chaotic or fuzzy mind, but the long-term cost to health, relationships, and trust is severe.
- Partners often live in constant alert mode, carrying invisible stress that shows up as health issues, poor sleep, and emotional exhaustion.
- Sobriety can reveal an underlying condition such as ADHD, so if troubling behaviours persist, it can be vital to keep asking questions and seeking assessment.
- Accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment, including medication where suitable, can offer similar clarity to alcohol without the destructive fallout.
- Both partners need to see forward movement; ongoing honesty, effort, and small steps of progress help rebuild trust and make staying feel possible.
“"I needed to be validated. I needed that validation. I needed to know that if we weren't going to work out, that I didn't give up."”
How do different strategies aid in addiction recovery? This conversation brings together hosts Matt and Sherry Salis with long-time community members Annette and Jason to talk frankly about life with both alcohol use disorder and ADHD in the mix. Jason explains how alcohol once felt like a "medicinal" solution for his fuzzy, unfocused mind.
He describes the surreal period where drinking at work seemed to boost his performance, even to the point of typing on two computers at once to hit impossible deadlines. As he puts it, alcohol gave him "clarity" and turned the fog into focus – until dependence took over and everything began to fall apart.
From Annette’s side, you’ll hear what it’s like to be the partner constantly "on": managing babies, health problems, and a house while also becoming, as she jokes, a full-time "inspector" of suspicious behaviour. She talks honestly about the exhaustion of living with repeated broken promises, the loneliness of doubting her own instincts, and the huge relief when Jason was finally diagnosed with inattentive ADHD and she says, "I needed to be validated.
I needed that validation." The episode looks at how sobriety didn’t magically fix everything. Jason’s ADHD symptoms actually became more obvious once he stopped drinking, leading to years of confusion until proper testing (this time done sober) confirmed cognitive impairment and severe inattentive ADHD. Medication and support haven’t made life perfect, but they’ve given the couple a practical way forward.
This one’s especially useful if you’re wondering why things still feel chaotic even after the alcohol is gone, or if you suspect ADHD or another condition might be sitting underneath the drinking. It asks a tough but important question: are you still clinging to "it’s just the alcohol," or is it time to keep digging for the full picture?
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