Ollie's story: ADHD solutions for a father of three

Ollie is a 38-year-old father of three whose diagnosis with ADHD came only a year ago, sparking a profound reflection on the coping mechanisms he had adopted throughout his youth—most notably, his battle with alcoholism that led to a life-altering arrest for drink-driving at the age of 25

After his long-overdue diagnosis, Ollie was prescribed a regimented treatment of amphetamine-derived medication that often increased his anxiety. Even though he didn’t always feel he needed such a high dose of the medication, especially on days when he felt fine, his doctor insisted he take it every day. This didn’t sit right with Ollie, and he began looking for alternatives. 

He began by researching the extensive, peer-reviewed data on medical cannabis, and an internet search on clinics in the UK led him to Releaf. Now, working with the support of our team, Ollie has found a treatment that relieves his symptoms both at work and at home— all without negative side effects—so he can be the best father and partner he can be.

Can you tell us about your health history and the conditions you’ve been diagnosed with?

I'm 38 years old, and I was diagnosed only a year ago with ADHD, which means I suffer from both attention deficit and hyperactivity. ADHD is usually diagnosed in young people, so when I received my diagnosis so late in life, many of my past behaviours, my emotions, and the ways I always reacted to things, started to unravel in quite a profound way. 

I'm a father, I have a full-time job, and with my new diagnosis I finally am able to begin to understand how my brain works. I can finally start to make some positive changes, and also gain perspective on my past. 

Without a diagnosis, what was your childhood like? 

If you’d met me in school, you wouldn’t think I was a particularly boisterous or outgoing child, because I was—and still am—very good at masking my condition. In my mind, though, it was always like squirrels running around, or like having 50 or 60 browser windows open at the same time, and knowing exactly what was going on in every one of them. In one window, I’d think about what I was going to do that day, and in another, I’d be going over a list of all my favourite rock bands from 1972. I'd know, in detail, everything about every artist on the list and their back catalogues. Everything was a picture in my mind—that's just how my brain worked, and all this information was tucked away in lots of different areas. 

This overthinking that is common with young people with ADHD can be overwhelming, and often turns into very self loathing thoughts and even self-hatred. At a very early age, I discovered alcohol and used it as a tool to combat these kinds of feelings. Unfortunately, that began before I was even in my teens and— if I’m being honest—it seemed to help for a while. When I consumed alcohol, it seemed to help me think more clearly.

And, how did you cope as you moved into adulthood?

As I got older, things got worse. I began working in cocktail bars as a bartender. At first, it felt like the perfect job for someone with my condition, because I could remember the recipes for thousands upon thousands of cocktails. I loved the job. If you came into my bar, you'd have the best time. For a while, it seemed like I was doing well, kind of using my condition to my advantage, but in the end, the drinking got out of control. 

I had been drinking since my pre-teens and was a serious alcoholic through to my 20s  when, fortunately, I was arrested for drink-driving. I say “fortunately”, because it sent me on a different path and saved my life. At that point, I was drinking about 100 units of alcohol every single day, so if I hadn’t been arrested, I don’t know what would have happened.

With my driving privileges lost, I was forced to take my bike everywhere. I immediately noticed positive changes in my health. I quickly lost about six stone. I became very serious about cycling, and now I do long distance events where I ride across entire countries. I hope to eventually compete riding across continents. As I said, it was fortunate that I was arrested. 

Later in life, my career path was a bit convoluted. I worked in education for a while, and I think my condition helped me there as well. There is an aspect of ADHD that heightens intuition and empathy. I taught English literature and mathematics to kids of all ages, and I loved working with my students. My niche was students who had been told they were about to fail. I would work with them and get them up to a pass. I loved that. They always challenged me. I’d tell them, “You’re going to be all right, you're sorted,” and we’d get to work.

After you were finally diagnosed with ADHD, what kind of treatments did you try?

After I was diagnosed, I was quickly prescribed different medicines for my condition. For the daytime, I received a derivative of amphetamine, and then for the nighttime I was given melatonin to sleep. The melatonin treatment did help sometimes, but the amphetamines could also bring with them some really profound anxiety if I didn’t take them at exactly the right time. Sometimes, they really pushed me right to the edge—to the point that I couldn’t even eat an evening meal with my family when I came home from work. 

One thing GPs don’t seem to understand is that every day is different. My doctor wanted me to take the medication at the same time every day, without fail. In my opinion, that’s crazy. As a father of three boys with a full-time job for a global automotive manufacturer, I can tell you that, most definitely, every day is not the same. Some mornings, I just get off to a great start and I feel that I don't need to medicate that day.

The treatment didn't seem to align with reality. That's when I started researching, piecing things together for myself. I definitely didn’t want to be on these amphetamine-based and hormone-based medications for the rest of my life. I didn't want that at all. They might have been okay for a short period, but long-term, it felt like I was playing Russian roulette.

And, what led you to exploring medical cannabis as a treatment option?

I knew that cannabis had been helpful to me in the past, and I was aware that since 2018 there was a change in the laws surrounding medical cannabis in the UK. When I started researching medical cannabis, it all seemed much more mature and legitimate than in the past. It also felt like it had gained a lot more social acceptance. 

When I read people’s testimonials on the Releaf website, I could see that there were myriad people out there who said that using medical cannabis had been a positive, life-changing decision. All that made me feel like I was in a more comfortable position to give it a try.   

What was it about Releaf that stood out for you?

Really, the quality communications on the website, and the marketing that came with it. That was quite appealing to me. The website showed a lot of professionalism and presented clear expectations of what my customer experience was going to be like.

I’m aware that there were a lot of clinics out there but, honestly, after I looked at what Releaf offered, I didn't contact anyone else. Releaf was the first and last clinic I looked at. I just went with it. Since then, I've been proven right with my decision. The whole team at Releaf has been a fantastic to work with.

How were your first experiences with Releaf?

The Releaf support team actually cares about my experience and the communication has been fantastic. Even if I email Releaf on the weekends, I will get a response fairly quickly. When that happens, I feel valued as a patient. I feel like my questions are taken seriously and cared for. 

At Releaf, there is always potential for two-way conversation, which is a complete pivot from when I was taking medication prescribed by my GP. At Releaf, waiting times are usually measured in days, while with my GP I’m looking at weeks, months or— back during the pandemic—potentially years to adjust my treatment.

In a month, a lot of changes can happen in my life that changes my symptoms: the stress changes, the seasons change; I change, so the opportunity to quickly consult with my doctor is incredibly valuable. That's what healthcare should be about: the patient should be in the driver's seat. That's what Releaf feels like.

Say, for example, I wanted to change something in my treatment that doesn’t feel is quite right. There's always quick response from the team that offers solutions, which I really value. So again, that customer experience has been fantastic.

How is the treatment going?

The thing that really separates my treatment at Releaf versus my GPs prescription is that it’s safe for me to adjust the dosage, depending on the situation.

When I'm focusing on writing or something I need to concentrate on, I have daytime medication, which allows me to focus and brings out my creative side. At night, I have different medication that helps me relax. For me, it’s not all about sleep. I think that is a common misconception. It’s about narrowing my focus, so that my brain knows that it’s evening now, and it’s time for things to calm down. 

Medical cannabis is not a silver bullet that cures my condition. It's not a panacea. My problems still exist. Situations I have to deal with can still be very high stress and high pressure. I still have to deliver huge results at home and at work. My treatment with medical cannabis allows me to just be in the moment; to be present, which benefits my day-to-day life. 

After work, when the laptop closes, it’s like a switch being flipped: I'm a father and partner, and I can be there and present with my children and not constantly worry. Medical cannabis is a great tool to have at my disposal. 

And, what are your hopes for the future?

We have a new baby boy—he’s only three weeks old—so we have three boys altogether now. So, right now my hopes and dreams are all about being present in the great, beautiful chaos of it all. Every day, I just try and be the best version of myself. 

For me, it's about continuing to make small but regular improvements. I think to myself, how can I improve by 1% today? That's it. I’m not expecting huge, monumental changes, just small steps, one at a time. I'm very thankful. 

Finally, what advice would you give to somebody else in a situation similar to yourself?  

In two words: be curious. Just be curious. 

We come from the UK, so many of us carry stigmas about cannabis. We have opinions and misconceptions that we learned all the way back to when we were in school. We need to try to shed that baggage, and remember that medical cannabis is not a new thing—it’s thousands of years old and has been used for millennia for medical reasons. 

I’d say to keep asking questions, do your own research, and look at the peer reviewed information. Remember, the medical cannabis community is a friendly, wonderful group of people, so don't ever be afraid to reach out and ask questions. The more the understanding grows, the sooner we’ll see the stigma reduced. Put your own health first and say to yourself, “I'm going to do this for me, so I can again be that best version of myself.” 

Right now is a fantastic time to consider medical cannabis seriously as a treatment, because the research is there, the funding is starting to go into the right places, and the information is starting to flow.