March 19, 2001 -- Twice a day, George Smith pops a pill that he
March 19, 2001 -- Twice a day, George Smith pops a pill that he says has changed his life: Ritalin.
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In what he refers to as "my life before Ritalin," Smith (who asked that his real name not be used) couldn't hold a job, balance his checkbook, or complete any of the many projects he had going at once. And his wife of 23 years, Linda, had one foot out the door. "I was a flake," he says.
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Today, the 42-year-old San Franciscan has a successful carpentry career doing intricate finish trim work, his savings account balance is at $30,000, he has finished writing not one but two screenplays, and his wife says she couldn't be happier.
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It all started three years ago, when Smith's mother-in-law began to suspect he might be suffering from more than absentmindedness. "She's one of those people who reads the Merck Manual, the book doctors use to diagnose people, for fun," he says. So when she came knocking with a 100-question diagnostic test from a book on attention deficit disorder (ADD), he figured why not? Linda answered yes to 16 questions, a friend said yes to 37, but Smith answered yes to a whopping 89 out of 100. "That's when we knew," Linda says. A doctor confirmed their suspicion by making the diagnosis of ADD with further testing, and Smith began a multifaceted treatment program that included counseling, behavior management, and Ritalin.
