I Have Lost 4 Passports Thanks to ADHD

Since the age of 18, I have lost four passports. This sportsman-like proficiency in losing valuable documents is partly a result of having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Dealing with ADHD Because I'm Always Losing Passports and Other Things

If Losing Were a Sport, I Would Win

While we're counting items I've lost down through the years, here are a few more: I've lost at least one driving license. I've temporarily lost two cars because I couldn't remember where I'd parked them. And, when you include money, wallets, and various bits of clothing, I've lost a small fortune's amount of stuff.

In fairness, all this losing isn't solely because of ADHD; in some cases, alcohol played a huge part. But then, when I used to drink, I was neurotic and obsessed with checking my person every 10 minutes. You know, doing a quick inventory check. This frequent checking, ironically, increased my chances of losing the items I was so desperate to protect.

Because of ADHD and Losing Things, All My Items Have Designated Spaces Now

As you can imagine, losing passports, licenses, and money is quite an inconvenience -- not to mention expensive. And, I'm happy to report that once I ditched alcohol, the loss rate plummeted. But just because I was sober didn't mean I was above losing things. I still had to effect a system to prevent panicky searches for valuable items.

To that end, all my valuable items now live in designated spaces throughout my home. For example, my wallet lives in the drawer of my bedside table. That's also where my medication stays, making it a breeze to wake up and throw back pills. The medication never leaves the drawer, and the only times the wallet isn't in the drawer are the times I forget to take it out of my pocket. As you can see, my system isn't flawless. It is, however, miles better than my old system of doing things.

My Old System Wasn't a System

Back before medication, back when I was a heavy drinker, nothing had designated places. Everything--valuable or otherwise--lay strewn about my apartment. Locating items was a lottery: sometimes, my wallet was right in front of me, and at other times, I was an hour's hunt away from having it peek out at me from behind a bread bin.

I've made my peace with ADHD; I'm never going to be the ultra-organized type. I'm always going to be in a battle with myself and my nature and have the propensity to lose or misplace or forget stuff. That's fine. I can live with that, as long as I don't lose any more passports.

Do you lose important things like passports because of ADHD? Do you have designated spaces for your things? Let me know in the comments.