Fast relief
Alcohol can offer a quick shift in state when your mind or body feels too busy, tense or emotionally overloaded.
Online ADHD addiction therapy UK
ADHD and Alcohol
Specialist online CBT for adults who want to understand ADHD and drinking patterns, reduce shame, and build practical strategies for emotional regulation and change.
Understanding the pattern
Alcohol can become a way of coping when ADHD feels overwhelming.
Some adults with ADHD use alcohol to quiet racing thoughts, manage emotional overwhelm, ease restlessness, soften shame or anxiety, or try to get to sleep. This does not mean you are weak or failing. It often means alcohol has become part of a coping cycle that made sense at one time, even if it is now creating problems.
ADHD and alcohol misuse can be especially confusing because drinking may feel helpful in the short term while making mood, sleep, impulsivity, anxiety, motivation or self-criticism harder to manage afterwards.
ADHD and addiction
A non-shaming way to make sense of ADHD and alcohol.
Dopamine and impulsivity
ADHD can make immediate rewards more powerful, especially when you are depleted, under-stimulated or already feeling bad about yourself.
Shame cycles
When drinking leads to regret, avoidance or self-criticism, shame can build and make the urge to escape stronger next time.
How CBT can help
CBT for ADHD and addiction focuses on understanding, skills and realistic change.
CBT can help you map the links between ADHD traits, emotional regulation, alcohol use, urges, routines, thoughts and situations. The aim is not to judge the behaviour, but to understand what keeps it going and build alternatives that are realistic in daily life.
Therapy may include practical strategies for managing urges, reducing avoidance, improving sleep routines, planning for high-risk moments, reducing shame, and developing kinder accountability.
Specialist online therapy
Support with Cally Farrer, BABCP-accredited CBT therapist.
Cally Farrer is a BABCP-accredited CBT therapist with 15 years experience in various clinical roles, including mental health and substance misuse services. Therapy is available online across the UK for adults looking for warm, specialist support with ADHD and alcohol, ADHD and drinking, and overlapping emotional regulation difficulties.
- online ADHD addiction therapy UK
- ADHD and alcohol misuse
- Urges, cravings and impulsive decisions
- Racing thoughts and emotional overwhelm
- Shame, anxiety and self-criticism
- Practical CBT strategies between sessions
Free 15-minute consultation
A first conversation can help you decide what support might fit.
You are welcome to get in touch without pressure or judgement.