Benchmark
If you have ADHD and you smoke marijuana this is what is actually happening inside your brain.
Dr Jonny@drjonnymiles

If you have ADHD and you smoke marijuana this is what is actually happening inside your brain. Your brain is already dopamine deficient. The reward system that drives motivation, focus, and the ability to feel satisfaction is chronically underactive. And then you smoke. And THC floods your brain with an artificial surge of dopamine that feels like everything your brain has been searching for. Calm. Focus. Quiet. For the first time in what feels like forever the noise stops. That feeling is the trap. Because your brain is extraordinary at remembering where it found that relief. And it will bring you back again and again. Not because you are weak. Because your dopamine system is doing exactly what it was designed to do. But here is what the research shows. Regular marijuana use in people with ADHD does not treat the condition. It makes it worse. THC disrupts the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain already most affected by ADHD. The part responsible for planning, impulse control, working memory, and emotional regulation. The very things you are already struggling with. Regular use accelerates cognitive decline in these areas. It increases anxiety and emotional dysregulation over time. And because your dopamine system adapts to the artificial surge your baseline drops even lower. Meaning you need more to feel normal. And without it you feel worse than before you ever started. The cruel irony of marijuana and ADHD is that it feels like medicine. While quietly making everything harder. If you have ADHD and you are using marijuana to cope you are not weak. You are not broken. You are a brain that was never given the right tools. And those tools exist. Proper diagnosis. The right medication. Therapy that actually addresses how your brain works. That is what changes things. Save this. Share this with someone who needed to understand why this is happening to them. Type I see you in the comments. Follow me for more on the neuroscience of ADHD and the conversations nobody else is having. #ADHD #marijuana #mentalhealth #neuroscience #drjonny

Instagramreel

If you have ADHD and you smoke marijuana this is what is actually happening inside your brain.

A neuroscience-based explanation of why marijuana use can feel like medicine for ADHD while actually worsening the condition over time. The video details how THC affects dopamine levels and cognitive functions like memory and impulse control.

Likes
45K
Comments
2.8K
Topics

Analysis

A neuroscience-based explanation of why marijuana use can feel like medicine for ADHD while actually worsening the condition over time. The video details how THC affects dopamine levels and cognitive functions like memory and impulse control.

Formats
EducationalHealth AdvicePSA
Topics
ADHD and MarijuanaDopamine DeficiencyNeuroscience of THCMental Health CopingPrefrontal Cortex Function
Categories
Mental HealthScience & HealthPersonal Development

Sign in to see the full analysis.

Sign in
EducationalHealth AdvicePSA

Verbal hook

As said out loud
If you've ever thought that you have ADHD and you smoke marijuana, this is what's actually happening inside your brain.

Visual hook

Talking head
How the visuals workThe speaker delivers a serious explanation directly to the camera from a car seat while text captions highlight key neurological terms and medical advice.
If you've ever thought that you have ADHD and you smoke marijuana, this is what's actually happening inside your brain. Like this. Share this and follow me for more on the neuroscience of adhd. And stay to the end, because most people with ADHD have never been told any of this, and it might be the most important thing you hear today. Your brain is already dopamine deficient. The reward system that drives motivation, focus, and the ability to feel satisfaction is chronically underactive. And then you smoke, and THC floods your brain with an artificial surge of dopamine that feels like everything your brain has been searching for. Calm, focus, quiet. For the first time. It's what feels like forever. The noise stops. The feeling is a trap. Because your brain is extraordinary, remembering where it found that relief. And it will want to bring you back again and again. Not because you're weak, but because your dopamine system is doing exactly what it was designed to do. But here is what the research shows. Regular marijuana use in people with ADHD does not treat the condition. It actually makes it worse. THC disrupts the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain already most affected by adhd, the part responsible for planning, impulse control, working memory, and emotional regulation, the very things that you are already struggling with. Regular use accelerates cognitive decline in these areas, and it increases anxiety and emotional dysregulation over time. And because your dopamine system adapts to that artificial surge, your baseline drops even lower, meaning you need more to feel normal. And without it, you feel worse than before. The cruel irony in that marijuana and ADHD is that it feels like medicine. It feels like the one thing that finally helps while quietly making everything harder. If you have ADHD or you think you do, and you're using marijuana to cope, know that you're not weak. You're not broken. You are a brain that was never given the right tools. And those right tools do exist. Proper diagnosis, the right medication and therapy that actually addresses how your brain works. That is what changes things. Not something that borrows tomorrow's dopamine to get through today. So save this and share this with someone who needed to understand why this is happening to them. And type I see you in the comments and follow me for more on the neuroscience of ADHD and the conversations that no one else is having.
  1. 01
    The Specific Audience Hook

    Identify a specific group of people and a specific habit they have, then promise a behind-the-scenes explanation.

    Original
    If you've ever thought that you have ADHD and you smoke marijuana, this is what's actually happening inside your brain.
  2. 02
    Early Engagement & High-Stakes Tease

    Request engagement early and establish why this video is essential to finish.

    Original
    Like this. Share this and follow me for more on the neuroscience of adhd. And stay to the end, because most people with ADHD have never been told any of this, and it might be the most important thing you hear today.
  3. 03
    The Internal Deficit

    Explain the baseline problem or deficiency the viewer is starting with.

    Original
    Your brain is already dopamine deficient. The reward system that drives motivation, focus, and the ability to feel satisfaction is chronically underactive.
  4. 04
    The Artificial Fix

    Explain how the habit creates a temporary, misleading sense of relief.

    Original
    And then you smoke, and THC floods your brain with an artificial surge of dopamine that feels like everything your brain has been searching for. Calm, focus, quiet. For the first time. It's what feels like forever. The noise stops.
  5. 05
    The Biological Reframe

    Reframe the habit as a natural biological response rather than a personal failure.

    Original
    The feeling is a trap. Because your brain is extraordinary, remembering where it found that relief. And it will want to bring you back again and again. Not because you're weak, but because your dopamine system is doing exactly what it was designed to do.
  6. 06
    The Research-Backed Pivot

    Introduce the negative long-term reality based on evidence.

    Original
    But here is what the research shows. Regular marijuana use in people with ADHD does not treat the condition. It actually makes it worse.
  7. 07
    The Mechanism of Decline

    Explain the specific physiological or technical way the habit backfires.

    Original
    THC disrupts the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain already most affected by adhd, the part responsible for planning, impulse control, working memory, and emotional regulation, the very things that you are already struggling with. Regular use accelerates cognitive decline in these areas, and it increases anxiety and emotional dysregulation over time.
  8. 08
    The Depleting Baseline

    Explain why the viewer now needs more of the habit to stay at zero.

    Original
    And because your dopamine system adapts to that artificial surge, your baseline drops even lower, meaning you need more to feel normal. And without it, you feel worse than before.
  9. 09
    The Cruel Irony

    Summarize the paradox of the situation.

    Original
    The cruel irony in that marijuana and ADHD is that it feels like medicine. It feels like the one thing that finally helps while quietly making everything harder.
  10. 10
    Validation and The Real Path

    Tell the viewer they aren't the problem and point them to the actual solution.

    Original
    If you have ADHD or you think you do, and you're using marijuana to cope, know that you're not weak. You're not broken. You are a brain that was never given the right tools. And those right tools do exist. Proper diagnosis, the right medication and therapy that actually addresses how your brain works. That is what changes things. Not something that borrows tomorrow's dopamine to get through today.
  11. 11
    The Community Call to Action

    Final engagement request with a specific community-building prompt.

    Original
    So save this and share this with someone who needed to understand why this is happening to them. And type I see you in the comments and follow me for more on the neuroscience of ADHD and the conversations that no one else is having.

Sign in to see the full analysis.

Sign in