Dear Addy,

[KingofCarrotFlowers]

Dear Adderall,

You have changed my life. No, really... seriously you are like my best friend, and I'm sorry that I did not get a chance to "hang out" with you today, but I just did not have the motivation. I did not have the motivation to watch my afternoon bleed into the evening, then into the next sunrise like raw scrambled eggs. Sure, I hung out with about 30 of your friends, and yah they stayed around for a long time (30mgXR), but then all of a sudden everyone has to come along... then it stops being fun. Keeping up with you can be a chore, and that is why you live in the glove compartment, all nestled under my insurance papers, so that I am not reminded that you are there. Tomorrow I have to get up and do a lot of things, and I know you are going to call me and hang out. It's okay... I know we will, but why? Why do I have to quit you? Why do I have to leave something that has given me so much success over the past few years? Why do I have to leave something that has made me the person that I am today. Or have you made me the person that I am today--that is the question. I can make a list of a million reasons why I need you, but I cannot find anything truly wrong with you. Sure, you make time go by fast, and you surely don't help me much when it comes to getting my words out in one clean swoop. You even go really well with a cup of coffee, but why are you so good to me?

--Kingof^Flowers.

OK -- So the above is just a note of what I wrote to Adderall. It is my struggle, and what I think about it when I am not on it. I guess my problem is that I can never really wake up without it. Right now, it is 3am, and I didn't take it yet today.

I want to say that quittingadderall.com has been a blessing for me over the past few months. As I have seriously been thinking about quitting, it is still a very difficult, morose, unapproachable situation in my life. I got to school and work (believe it or not) in a substance abuse treatment facility. I always wonder if people that I work with know that I am "on it." Seriously it is something that I use as therapy as well... I never abuse it whatsoever. Just my regular 30 milligrams XR in the morning. I want to take more sometimes, so yeah, I guess I lied when I say I'll pop another at night...

My friend just recently found me this alternative to it, and I think I am going to use it to help me quit. It's a chocolate/mocha drink thingy that I really like. It is helping me lift the fog on the days where I just don't feel like taking that little orange pill.

I guess the point of this post was to show you all how much I really need adderall ... because my thoughts are literally all over the place without it. When I was born, I was given very high doses of caffeine because my lungs were collapsed. I was born very early (3 months early to be exact), and all throughout my childhood, I suffered from extreme attention deficit disorder. I was also given a drug called Theophylline, that they were fearful at the time had caused some researchers to believe that it would give children ADHD.

[Mike]

Hi KingofCarrotFlowers,

That letter was great! Fun to read. If you've written any other letters to inanimate objects, I'd love to read them.

Look, one thing that I don't think I've stressed enough is this: you need a compelling reason to quit, and if you don't have one, don't quit.

Quit Adderall only if you feel that doing so would make you happier (and more successful, if in a different way) in the long run. Quit because there's somebody who you can't become with Adderall. Quit because you feel like Adderall is holding you back from something.

Don't just quit for the sake of quitting, or because you feel self-conscious about popping meds all day.

Adderall is not inherently evil. It is only evil if you don't need it. It truly does help some people, and if you're one of those people then you absolutely shouldn't feel bad about taking it. If you feel like you need it to be who you want to be and do what you want to do, then stay on it without shame --- you're one of the ones who need it.

You asked in your letter "Why do I have to quit you?". What was your answer? Why do you have to quit? You have to be able to answer that question with authority before you can even think about quitting for real.

Also, just curious: What was that "chocolate/mocha drink thingy" your friend got you on? Like, what's the brand name and stuff?

[Lizzy]

While pregnant and off of adderall, I found a certain spice can help lift the fog and aids in concentration. It is not prescription strength, but it DOES work. It is an indian spice called, Cardamom. You can add some to anything you add cinnimon to and it is even good in meats and pasta dishes.

It is also good for inflammation. However, if cannot tolerate asprin medicine for the blood-thinning aspect, then don't ingest cardamom.

I used the powder form of it in tea. I made regular english black tea and added about 1/4 teaspoon to it. It is also found in Chai Teas and you can add more to give it more punch. You can use it the same way you do coffee to help lift the fog.

Mike...I have a suggestion for you already wonderful site: perhaps you can do a "natural alternatives" page to list things like cardamom spice. :-)