"A clear-eyed but warmly reassuring self-help guide with loads of hands-on ADD advice." - Kirkus Review How many times have you bought a paper date planner? hoping that this time you would actually use it! I know that the normal advice many so-called experts give to adults with ADD just doesn't work. Maybe because those experts don't have Adult ADD or Adult ADHD. Dr. Sachs has Adult ADD, so he knows that the typical methods for organization and productivity don't always work for us adults with ADD/ADHD. In the Adult ADD Solution, Dr. Sachs offer "work-arounds" -- field-tested tools, tips and techniques that work for adults with ADD and take into account the unique way that adults with ADD and ADHD approach life.Dr. Sachs believes in a holistic approach that starts with sleep, diet and exercise and includes emotional, relational and spiritual practices to truly overcome Adult ADD. This book deals with more than just tips to become more organized. He examines the impact of a life of untreated Adult ADD, and how that affects self-esteem, relationships and overall success. The key word is "overall." That is his holistic approach because Adult ADD impacts all areas of one's life.Adult ADD / ADHD is challenging for oneself and loved ones, but with support and this book, you can overcome some of your worst symptoms and become the person you always knew you could be. Forget the Ritalin and try changing lifestyle, outlook, and habits argue this energetic debut primer for adults with Attention Deficit Disorder. Dr. Sachs, a clinical psychologist with ADD, who specializes in treating it, contends that drugs rarely solve all ADD issues. He recommends instead a targeted regimen of self-analysis and behavior modification pegged to a monthlong calendar of daily lessons and goals (with weekends devoted to review). The program starts with tips on getting a good night's sleep, proper hydration, exercise to flare off energy, and a suitable diet. Sachs moves on to techniques to counteract the impulsiveness, distractions, and inappropriate conduct that plague ADD/ADHD patients. He encourages readers to inventory their strengths and weaknesses and concentrate on tasks and careers they find interesting. Noting how persistent lateness, missed deadlines, and chaotic comportment harm families and co-workers, he suggests that readers embed themselves in social networks that train sufferers to become reliable, punctual, and considerate of others. (He credits the men's group The ManKind Project with helping him cultivate these virtues.) And Sachs offers many straightforward tricks to short-circuit ADD and ADHD symptoms: keep a notebook to jot down off-topic ideas instead of blurting them out at meetings; loudly say "No!" when attention drifts away from the work; use apps to avoid getting sidetracked by email; break big jobs into small steps with rewards to motivate incremental accomplishments.Sachs provides lucid explanations of the brain science behind the cravings for stimuli and inability to concentrate that plague those with ADD/ADHD and probes sufferers' anguish as they cycle through failure, shame, self-loathing, and withdrawal. He conveys all of this with a mix of been-there insight and mordant humor. (The "Instant Gratification Monkey" is "the voice that pipes up when you're working on your taxes due tomorrow and says, 'Hey, let's take a trip down memory lane and see if our ex is still on Facebook.' ") People with ADD (and many others who recognize themselves) should find much useful guidance here.
