When Alcohol Feels Like a Way to Slow Things Down

For some people, alcohol becomes part of how they respond to or cope with certain ADHD-related challenges.

It may be used to quiet a racing mind at the end of the day. To ease restlessness or tension. To feel calmer, more focused, or less overwhelmed.

If you’ve noticed yourself using alcohol to cope with ADHD-related challenges, you’re not alone. And it doesn’t mean you’re doing something “wrong.” More often, it reflects an understandable attempt to self-manage symptoms that can feel exhausting without the right support.

How ADHD can feel in daily life

ADHD isn’t just about attention—it affects how the brain regulates focus, energy, emotions, and impulses. Many adults with ADHD experience:

• Racing or nonstop thoughts
• Difficulty winding down or relaxing
• Restlessness or internal agitation
• Emotional intensity or reactivity
• Trouble with organization, follow-through, or time management
• Feeling overwhelmed or mentally “overstimulated”

Over time, these experiences can lead to frustration, burnout, shame, or feeling constantly behind—especially in work, relationships, or parenting.

Why alcohol can feel helpful for ADHD symptoms

Alcohol can temporarily:

• Slow down racing thoughts
• Reduce restlessness or tension
• Take the edge off emotional intensity
• Make it easier to relax or fall asleep
• Create a brief sense of calm or relief

In the moment, it can feel like alcohol is doing what your brain struggles to do on its own—helping you pause, settle, or switch off. ​​The relief, however, is temporary. Alcohol can shift how symptoms feel in the moment, but it doesn’t help build lasting ways to manage them.

ADHD, emotions, and avoidant coping

Alcohol use often functions as a form of avoidant coping—not just for emotions, but for internal discomfort more broadly.

For people with ADHD, that discomfort might include:

• Mental overstimulation
• Frustration or irritability
• Feeling overwhelmed or “out of control”
• Emotional intensity or shame

Alcohol becomes a way to avoid or dampen these internal experiences.

While avoidance can bring short-term relief, it teaches the brain:

“I need alcohol to calm down or feel regulated.”

Over time, this can increase reliance on alcohol while leaving ADHD symptoms—and emotional coping skills—unaddressed.

How the cycle can develop

This pattern often looks like:

1. ADHD symptoms create stress, restlessness, or emotional overload
2. Alcohol is used to slow down, relax, or cope
3. Symptoms feel more manageable—for a while
4. Alcohol wears off, often worsening sleep, focus, or mood
5. Alcohol feels increasingly necessary to cope again

This cycle isn’t about lack of discipline or awareness. It’s about a nervous system trying to regulate itself with the tools it has.

When alcohol becomes the main coping strategy

If you notice patterns like:

• Drinking to calm your mind or body
• Using alcohol to manage stress, emotions, or sleep
• Feeling unable to relax without drinking
• Drinking more than you intend

These are signs that your ADHD—and emotional system—may need more effective support.

You deserve tools that help you function, not just get through the day.

Learning to regulate without alcohol

Treatment helps people build skills for regulation, focus, and emotional balance that don’t rely on numbing or avoidance.

Key goals often include learning how to:

• Understand ADHD-driven patterns
  Recognize how attention challenges, impulsivity, or emotional intensity contribute to stress—and the urge to drink for relief.
• Build tools to calm the nervous system
  Learn strategies to wind down racing thoughts, manage restlessness, and regulate emotions without alcohol.
• Improve structure and follow-through
  Develop practical systems for organization, time management, and task initiation that reduce overwhelm.
• Reduce reliance on alcohol as a coping tool
  Replace alcohol with skills that actually support focus, sleep, and emotional regulation.

Rather than asking, “How do I shut my brain off?”, Treatment helps you ask, “How can I support my brain in ways that actually work?”

Strategies to try instead

Here are a few approachable starting points:

Externalize the chaos

Write racing thoughts down before bed or during stressful moments. Getting them out of your head can reduce the urge to quiet them with alcohol.

Use the body to calm the mind

Short movement breaks, stretching, or paced breathing (like breathing in for 4 seconds and out for 6) can help regulate overstimulation.

Practice compassionate awareness

Instead of criticizing yourself for feeling scattered or overwhelmed, try: “This is my ADHD showing up. I need support—not punishment.”

You don’t have to figure this out alone

At Brightside Health, we help people understand why alcohol becomes a coping strategy for ADHD—not just how to stop using it. Our licensed clinicians provide evidence-based care to help you:

• Treat ADHD and co-occurring anxiety or depression
• Build sustainable coping and regulation skills
• Reduce reliance on alcohol for relief
• Create routines and strategies that fit real life
  

Care is personalized, compassionate, and accessible from home.

If alcohol has become a way to manage ADHD symptoms, support can help you feel more regulated—without numbing yourself to get there. Learn more or get started with Brightside Health today.