30/05/2026
So, it’s official. I have been diagnosed with combined ADHD.
And honestly? A lot of things suddenly make sense.
The masking, the chaos, crippling anxiety, depression, and the dreaded burnout.
For me, alcohol became part of how I coped. It quietened things down, until it didn’t.
My substance use really came to a head when the mask cracked, when the pretending, pushing through, people-pleasing and internal chaos became too much to hold.
And I know I’m not the only one.
So many people in recovery are also neurodivergent, diagnosed or undiagnosed. ADHD, autism, trauma responses, sensory overwhelm, anxiety, emotional dysregulation … it all overlaps, and it all matters.
That’s why The Third Space tries to be inclusive for neurospicy humans.
Not in a corporate “we value diversity” poster way. In a real way.
We try to offer:
🖤 Low-pressure groups
🖤 No forced eye contact
🖤 No pressure to speak
🖤 Space to move around
🖤 Crafts, games and fidgety things
🖤 Clearer routines where we can
🖤 Humour, honesty and flexibility
🖤 A place where being “too much” is not a crime
Because recovery spaces need to understand that people don’t all heal the same way.
Some people need quiet. Some people need activity. Some people need to talk.
Some people need to sit near people but not be perceived. Some people need three brews and a side quest (that one’s me).
All ways of healing and are yours to own.
The mask cracking wasn’t the end it was the beginning
And now we build spaces where people don’t have to mask so hard just to belong.
P.S Image used is from a short film we are releasing soon called “When The Mask Cracks” Yes, I really did use my diagnosis as a shameless plug. Sue me.
