Hi! I'm Alastair Cassie, and I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until my 50s. I'd spent my entire life living with ADHD without realising it. I'd always known there was a missing, unexplained element to why I felt different to other people.
For most of my adult years, I battled undiagnosed sleep apnoea and insomnia. Working in the wine trade for over 30 years meant managing alcohol intake was challenging. I pushed my physical and mental health to the limits. It took a Cardiology Consultant to insist on sleep tests after my GP had dismissed my concerns for years with "just lose weight". Given the severity of my sleep apnoea and how long I had been suffering from it, I was lucky to be alive. But once armed with a CPAP machine, I embarked on creating my own solutions for sleep and alcohol consumption, as traditional advice had always failed me. It was on this path that I realised the underlying thread was probably ADHD.
The eventual diagnosis was transformative. Like many ADHDers, it's been an internally emotional period since, but I've got a better perspective on my life now and can look forward armed with knowledge and strategies, and my past is firmly in the rear view mirror. I can't take ADHD medication due to the damage the sleep apnoea did to my heart over all those years, so building up new skills has been a priority.
I became an ADHD Coach to help others in areas where I had sought help myself but could not find it readily. My main focus is alcohol moderation and sleep. I also help a lot of ADHD small business owners with their websites - it's my newfound excuse for hyperfocus and working late at night!
ADHD UK has been instrumental in my understanding of ADHD, and they do fabulous work despite their financial constraints. I'm bringing my fundraising experience, enthusiasm, and the ADHD strategies I've developed to the organisation as an ambassador and volunteer.
alcoholreductioncoach.com