Meditation for regulating hyperactivity?

I'm a 22 year old male and was diagnosed with ADHD when i was kid, prescribed ritalin and took it til i was like 15 or something. as far as i could see, it didn't work.
these days, my mind races a lot and can almost wind me into a mild panic if i'm confronted with an unplanned situation (which, with this being LIFE, happens all the time onviously!)...i'm very easily distracted, even when my boss is talking to me or when i was learning to drive...and it shows! so it would help to be able to slow down my mind a little, or at least learn to focus it more, through practise, rather than smothering my mind and slowing it with medication/drugs - i want to meditate so i have the ability to regulate my hyperactivity without dulling me down as a person, but i don't know how realistic this is.

i also feel that it may help to curb my social drinking and recreational drug use, coz very often i get totally blitzed before and during weekend social situations to block out the mild panic that i described earlier, and to slow my mind down so i can enjoy myself and - sounds stupid i know - think more clearly...so if i could meditate i think it would really help me in my efforts to move in a slightly different, healthier direction in life.

can anyone tell me if i am being realistic and if it is worth pursuing this route. i know ur all fans of meditation but i need an honest answer. what can i expect if i put in some effort?

 

Hyperactivity for someone of your age is pretty normal, providing you find positive channels for it to run into.

You're in the physical prime of your life right now. Don't blow your old age by bad habits in youth. Have fun, just be careful. I live in an area of old hippies. They have the same problems of bad lungs and scarred livers. Don't be one of them 40 years from now.

Your presumed hyperactivity may be made worse by diet. Pay attention to what triggers responses in your body. Maybe you can pinpoint the worst ones.

As for meditation, some people just aren't ready to sit still for a few minutes. You can still meditate, even in the form of bicycle riding or knitting. The whole point is to bring your concentration to a spotlight intensity on one thing.

When you get really good, even the one thing disappears.

A simple technique to hone concentration is just to gaze at a candle flame in a dark room. Sit a few feet away from it. 10 minutes at a time to start. Increase as needed.



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