My “community/friend group” ghosted me after learning of my treatment
Hello, friends! I’m a 29 year old male. Recently diagnosed with ADHD and even more recently started treating my symptoms with Vyvanse - per my physician.
Long story short (not short), my whole friend group/community is centered around faith based-addiction-recovery as I was a long time alcohol abuser (after my recent diagnoses I learned this was just me trying to self-soothe or self-medicate for the entirety of my 20’s)
I overshared (no surprise there) with a few of them about my diagnosis/medication - lisdexamphetamine bc I thought I had a safe space AND I was so excited to share about the benefits and new changes in my life but given the name (amphetamine) that is a HUGE red flag for that community. It’s not meth obviously, but to those not in-the-know, it’s the same thing.
For YEARS in sobriety I was still SUCH a screw up - could never manage money, couldn’t stick to any plans, forgetful, couldn’t focus or maintain ANY kind of attention. The ONLY things that gave me any relief (that weren’t drugs or alcohol) were having sex, watching porn, driving/riding motorcycles at extreme speeds for the adrenaline, fallout new vegas, nicotine, Etc. and the solutions I heard from my community were always the same - you’re just not disciplined, you don’t love Jesus enough, you just need to manage your impulses… I remember years ago mentioning ADHD and they all shot it down SO fast. “We’re ALL distracted from time to time” “you’re fine!!!” Despite CONSTANTLY being on the brink of chaos/homelessness due to poor financial decisions, impulse moves/plans, etc (this is all happening well into sobriety- 2+ years)
Anyways things have gotten SO bad in 2026. So I decided to readdress my mental health and suspicions of ADHD… I got a PCP who listened and BELIEVED me when I said I wasn’t lazy or stupid, so she decided to treat me (Vyvanse).
almost all of them have started to distance themselves from me after the word got out…I reached out to one of them this morning to congratulate him on his new marriage, and to ask for some advice regarding fixing my car (which already took so much effort bc of the shame), only to find out that I was “blocked” after sending this message (see photo)
I sent another text to another recovery friend of mine who checked on me a few weeks before my diagnosis when I was REALLY bad off trying to figure out what the hell was WRONG with me, only to be ghosted as well
Same story, for 5 of my other closest “friends”
It broke me, I went for a walk in the park before coming to work this morning and was just balling my eyes out…
Rediscovering who I am with this new diagnosis has been amazing, Vyvanse has done WONDERS for my symptoms. I have not drank, quit smoking, going super hard at work, making appointments I’ve been putting off for months/years, and all the good things that come with proper ADHD medication, But currently the biggest “side affect” is that I’ve been alienated by the community I once held so near and dear. I live in the southern rural part of the states 🇺🇸 and not many people here even believe in mental health… my question is… How do you find IRL people in the community who understand and are willing to walk with me on this journey?
I feel like a NEW man with a sense of agency over my own life for the first time ever, but at the cost of losing friends who LOVED the “masked” version of me :(