Neurodivergence and Addiction

After reviewing the neurobiological and psychological differences between ADHD, Autism, AuDHD and neurotypicality, and discussing the vulnerabilities each neuroprofile has toward addiction, this post dives deeper into the various substances and compulsive behaviors most likely to be linked with use disorders. It also reviews ways to reflect about your relationship with substances/compulsive behaviors, and ways to care for yourself as a neurodivergent person. 

Addictions - formerly referred to as substance abuse and dependence - are modernly known as substance use disorders (SUDs) and behavioral addictions. Determining whether one meets the criteria for a diagnosis of a SUD or behavioral addiction involves looking at the use/behavior through four categories of symptoms: 

1. physical dependence

2. impaired control

3. social problems

4. risky use

As we’ve seen in the prior posts in this series, neurospicy folks have specific vulnerabilities in each of these four categories, which can make it easier to fall into addiction(s). For instance, because of the neurobiological and experiential differences of neurodivergent people, many neurospicy folks are drawn to:

Seeking neurochemical triggers

• Dopamine seeking (aka seeking desire): 

  • The availability of dopamine increases when rewards are available at random. In behaviorism, this is called a random reward schedule. When our brains can’t predict when a reward will come, every action we take toward trying to get the reward produces dopamine. So, random rewards = consistent dopamine… which feels great in a dopamine-poor brain.1

• Norepinephrine seeking (aka seeking adrenaline): 

  • Doing this looks like: using procrastination as focus fuel, picking fights and sabotaging your relationship(s), chronically overcommitting, doomscrolling and becoming preoccupation with social outrage (not to be confused with healthy social outrage which occurs without intentionally seeking content that fuels it), and intense drive toward high-risk activities (aggressive driving, high-injury sports, reckless substance use, etc). Norepinephrine seeking is also sometimes referred to as “manufacturing emergencies” - and it works in the short term because inciting panic can flood the brain with norepinephrine, clearing the brain fog that often comes with ADHD.

Socializing anonymously or semi-anonymously

• This allows one to experience the benefits of social connection, without the stress of masking and with the ability to more easily shrug off stigma based on their ND experience.

Seeking experiences that make them feel “normal”

• Unless ND people are lucky enough to be in an environment affirming their ND traits, they are often drawn to places and experiences that make them feel more “normal”. This is due to the intolerable, internalized shame that can develop inside a ND person.7 Substances can temporarily provide this feeling of being more NT - either by temporarily reducing executive functioning difficulties, by reducing stigma from others who are also using substances making them more accepting, and/or increasing one’s feelings of self acceptance. However, because these experiences are short term, the risk of substance reliance and relapses is high.7

Types of Addictions Common in Neurodivergent People

Addiction can take many forms, and some are more commonly known than others. Review this list and consider whether you or a loved one might be struggling with any of these forms of addiction. 

The Classic Addictions

• Substances

  • Alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, caffeine, ketamine, psychedelics, MDMA, opiates, benzos and any other external substances that act on neurochemistry to produce a change or effect.

  • Substances “don’t just exploit the reward system’s logic. They hack its hardware”.9

  • We’ve previously discussed how and why substances become attractive to neurospicy people. 

• Process Addictions

  • Sex addiction, compulsive shopping or stealing, video game addiction, and/or gambling addiction (either online or in person). 

  • In process addictions, the excitement that perpetuates the addiction is largely built on the build-up to the event, rather than simply engaging in the behavior itself.9

The Modern Addictions

• Cell Phones

  • Most adults in the US currently have their cell phone on them seemingly at all times. Our culture supports, and in some cases even requires, us to be tethered to our devices. However, when our cell phones are used to avoid difficult emotions or become the primary way we meet our core needs (i.e. social connection, engagement, awe, etc), our relationship with our phones can develop consequences.

  • This is in part because most of us now have so many applications on our phones that it’s possible to receive a notification at any moment. This creates the random reinforcement mentioned above - where the mental wondering and anticipation (“is there a notification?”) produces the exact random dopamine trigger we previously discussed. This can make cell phones particularly addictive for certain types of neurodivergent nervous systems.

• Social Media

  • Social media also employs random reinforcement to maintain attention. Every time you post, you open yourself for likes/comments/shares of unknown frequency and quantity.9 Thus, for many of us, simply opening social media produces dopamine that wasn’t there before. 

  • Social media also offers norepinephrine through doomscrolling, as mentioned above. This can make social media particularly addictive for neurodivergent people. 

• Cryptocurrency

  • While investing is a classic example of a variable reward schedule, in the case of cryptocurrency, investing may now be combined with semi-anonymous socializing (i.e. posting on X about crypto developments) to stimulate high amounts of dopamine. The inherent financial risk involved in investing may also stimulate norepinephrine. This paints the similar picture of short-term neurotransmitter hijacking we’ve been seeing in the development of addictive relationships with other behaviors and drugs. 

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)

  • Consequences for executive functioning

    • Research has begun to demonstrate the impact of frequent generative AI use on executive skills. For example, a recent study suggests LLM use has cognitive costs, and “[o]ver four months, LLM users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels” as compared to those using only their own existing skills.5

  • Consequences for social skills

    • AI offers a unique form of para-social interaction, which feels less vulnerable than socializing with live humans. AI’s penchance for validating responses makes it the most perfect “social proxy” we’ve had to date, which can soothe a neurodivergent nervous system that’s been isolated, masking, and fatigued from marginalization and shame. This said, relying on AI to meet unmet social needs holds inherent risk of emotional attachment and psychological addiction, particularly if we aren’t being intentional about diversifying the ways in which we connect with others.11

    • Alternatively, AI might be used for support or advice to help one socialize with other humans more smoothly. While this isn’t inherently bad, research suggests using AI as a mediator for social connection can reduce the feeling of connectedness we ultimately experience from those interactions. 

  • Measurement scales and diagnostic frameworks are being proposed to capture these emerging issues: 

    • 1) the Problematic ChatGPT Use (PCGU) scale can be used to assess the health of one’s use of AI.6

    • 2) Generative Artificial Intelligence Addiction Syndrome (GAID - D is used for Addiction) offers a framework for capturing AI addiction.4

This is not to state that any of these technologies or behaviors is inherently bad. And in fact, all behavior in life has risks. 

The question, however, is whether we acknowledge those risks and accept them consciously and fully - or if instead we find ourselves consumed by consequences we failed to register.  

Am I Struggling with an Addiction?

The most important thing in assessing your relationship with a substance or compulsive behavior, especially as a neurodivergent person, is understanding the impact of the substance/behavior in your life.

Ask yourself: 

• Is this substance/behavior a healthy coping tool for me? 

• Is it regulating for me (i.e. helps me feel more calm, stable, present and/or grounded in both the short and long term)? 

• Is this substance/behavior supporting me to achieve my other life goals?

• Is this substance/behavior impacting my functioning? Is it getting in the way of me meeting my other needs, or achieving the goals I have in my life? 

• Are there any consequences of my relationship with this substance/behavior? Am I being honest with myself about that? What do the people closest to me think about my relationship with this thing?

• Am I relying on this substance/behavior to escape negative emotions, mask executive dysfunction, or replace human socialization?

• Do I have other ways to get whatever this substance/behavior is giving me?

Sometimes, it can be easier and more illuminating to explore questions like this in conversation with someone who’s experienced in this terrain. 

If you’re struggling with addiction(s) and would like support, we’re here to help. 

How to Care for Yourself as a Neurodivergent Person 

The best way to avoid struggling with addiction is to make sure you’re aware of and meeting your needs in diverse and sustainable ways. 

So here’s the important stuff - ways to sense and meet your neurodivergent needs, which reduces the risk of leaning heavily on substances or harmful compulsive behaviors. 

While these suggestions are curated for neurospicy people, they’re good for neurodivergent and neurotypical people alike!

1. Preserve time and space to be YOU - to relax, unmask, sensory soothe, stim, and let yourself just be - at home or another place you feel safe

2. In addition to your home, find places in the world where you can “unmask” - where you feel safe, seen, and affirmed in social situations

3. Diversify your interests

   1. Art, movement, social, nature, tech/science, etc

4. Diversify your coping strategies

   1. Music (so many excellent sounds & music supports exist online for neurodivergent people!)

   2. Pressure (compression clothes, layers, weighted blankets or float tanks, loose clothes, swimming)

   3. Others - there’s a wealth of beautiful ideas available in podcasts, blogs, and books from other neurodivergent people

5. Disconnect from technology sometimes (especially if tech is related to a compulsive behavior for you)

6. Find community - anywhere, get creative

   1. What’s something you used to love to do as a kid, that you could return to? 

   2. Where have you met people who felt comfortable to you? Follow that. 

7. Manage your stress!

   1. Stress significantly increases the risk of leaning on short-term coping strategies, and particularly for neurodivergent people, can complicate existing vulnerabilities to SUD and behavioral addictions making them more likely.2

Is there something you experienced that I didn’t cover in this article? Please share it in the comments! Let’s build knowledge and intentionality together.

If you’d like to talk with a therapist about how this series resonates with you,

References

1. Blum, K., Chen, A. L. C., Braverman, E. R., Comings, D. E., Chen, T. J. H., Arcuri, V., Blum, S. H., Downs, B. W., Waite, R. L., Notaro, A., Lubar, J., Williams, L., Prihoda, T. J., Palomo, T., & Oscar-Berman, M. (2008). Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder and reward deficiency syndrome. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 4(5), 893–918.

2. Huang, J.-S., Yang, F.-C., Chien, W.-C., Yeh, T.-C., Chung, C.-H., Tsai, C.-K., Tsai, S.-J., Yang, S.-S., Tzeng, N.-S., Chen, M.-H., & Liang, C.-S. (2021). Risk of substance use disorder and its associations with comorbidities and psychotropic agents in patients with autism. JAMA Pediatrics, 175(3), e205371.

3. Kircher-Morris, E. (Host). (2024, July 8). The tricky relationship between addiction and neurodiversity (No. 233) [Audio podcast episode]. In The Neurodiversity Podcast. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72FyhKJN_pg

4. Kooli, C., Kooli, Y., & Kooli, E. (2025). Generative artificial intelligence addiction syndrome: A new behavioral disorder? Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 107, Article 104476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2025.104476

5. Kosmyna, N., Hauptmann, E., Yuan, Y. T., Situ, J., Liao, X. H., Beresnitzky, A. V., … & Maes, P. (2025). Your brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of cognitive debt when using an AI assistant for essay writing task. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.00000

6. Maral, S., Naycı, N., Bilmez, H., Erdemir, E. İ., & Satici, S. A. (2025). Problematic ChatGPT Use Scale: AI‑Human Collaboration or Unraveling the Dark Side of ChatGPT. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-025-01509-y

7. Miller, P., Pates, R., & Bereznicki, H. (2025). The vital role of trauma, neuro, and shame-aware care in substance use treatment and research. Journal of Substance Use, 31(2), 157–160.

8. Munday, K. (2025). Improving substance-use services for autistic adults: Insights and recommendations from autistic adults. Autism in Adulthood, 7(2).

9. Neurosity. (2024, May 15). The brain’s reward system: Understanding dopamine, motivation, and the focus molecule. Neurosity Guides. 

10. Van Emmerik-van Oortmerssen, K., van de Glind, G., van den Brink, W., Smit, F., Crunelle, C. L., Swets, M., & Schoevers, R. A. (2012). Clinical prevalence of ADHD in substance use disorder patients: A meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 136(3), 237–244.

11. Yankouskaya, A., Liebherr, M., & Ali, R. (2025). Can ChatGPT be addictive? A call to examine the shift from support to dependence in AI conversational large language models. Human-Centric Intelligent Systems, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44230-025-00090-w