preface

There are a lot of books about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder out there. Some of them explain brain function (and dysfunction). Some of them tell you how to change your AD/HD. Some of them offer tips and tricks to handle your AD/HD.

This is not one of those books.

This is a no-holds-barred, brutally honest account of what it’s like to live with undiagnosed AD/HD for more than forty years and the startling changes that occurred after I discovered that I was an adult with AD/HD.

From diagnosis to denial, from rebellion to acceptance, I’ll share my journey in a series of ADD-ish vignettes that illustrate the dramatic impact of AD/HD in my life. I’ll also share my celebration of that giddy, goofy, exuberant woman who has learned to soar—my inner ADDiva!

Though I’m not Catholic, in a real sense, this book is my confessional. I am opening the door to my deepest secrets, darkest regrets, and most closeted embarrassments. After years of barring the door for fear that others would judge me harshly for my innocent transgressions, there is relief in sharing these snapshots of my life.

But this book was not conceived or written merely to air my dirty laundry. I’m deliberately showing my petticoat in the hope that other women will recognize themselves on these pages and take heart that they aren’t alone. Life with AD/HD can be a challenge, but when you believe that you’re the only one who misses the previews and the first five minutes of every movie you see—or that you alone can’t settle down to “just do it” until the deadline approaches and the pressure’s on—it can be far, far more devastating.

There are hundreds, thousands of us out here, each making our own ADD-ish way. We simply need to connect with each other, support each other, and laugh with each other. Laugh a lot. Because we reflect to each other the finest that lives inside us. We reflect to each other our hearts and souls.

This is my story. Since you’re reading this book, chances are good it mirrors your story, too. If you resonate with my “True ADD Confessions,” I am thrilled. But I warn you: some of these words are not easy to hear. They may cut close to the bone of your own life or that of your sister or mother or best friend.

So read with a generous heart and an open mind, then be gentle with yourself as you allow the messages to sink in. After all, you’re a bona fide ADDiva, and that’s a pretty darned nice title to claim!
 

copyright 2011 by Linda Roggli all rights reserved, no reproduction without written permission from the author