You are not Broken. You are wired differently.
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⚡ Dopamine Inventory: What Are You Running On?
A quiz from ND Hive. Companion to “ADHD Brain Chemistry”
What this is
ADHD brains have less available dopamine and the receptors that catch what’s there work differently. You’re not lazy. You’re under-fueled. This quiz audits where you currently get dopamine, where you don’t, and what to do about the gap.
Takes 6 minutes.
How this works
For each question, pick the answer most true. The quiz scores both your CURRENT dopamine sources AND your DEPLETION sources. The result tells you how to refuel.
The questions: current sources
1. What gives you genuine dopamine right now?
- A. Movement / exercise (+2 healthy)
- B. Connection / good conversation (+2 healthy)
- C. Creating / making (+2 healthy)
- D. Novel / interesting work (+2 healthy)
- E. Scrolling, reels, infinite content (+2 depleting)
- F. Sugar, caffeine, junk food (+1 depleting)
- G. Shopping / buying things (+1 depleting)
- H. Drama / arguments / intense emotions (+1 depleting)
2. What’s the FIRST thing you reach for when bored?
- A. Movement, going outside, calling someone (+2 healthy)
- B. Phone (Instagram, TikTok, email refresh) (+2 depleting)
- C. Food (especially sugar / carbs) (+1 depleting)
- D. A creative project / hobby (+2 healthy)
- E. Substance (alcohol, weed, etc.) (+2 depleting)
- F. Nothing, I just sit with the boredom (+1 healthy)
3. When was the last time you experienced genuine flow / interest / dopamine?
- A. Today (+3 healthy)
- B. This week (+2 healthy)
- C. This month (+1 healthy)
- D. I can’t remember (+0, big signal)
4. How often do you scroll without remembering what you saw?
- A. Rarely. (+0)
- B. Sometimes. (+1 depleting)
- C. Daily. (+2 depleting)
- D. Multiple times a day, often for an hour+. (+3 depleting)
5. What’s your relationship to caffeine right now?
- A. None or minimal. (+0)
- B. 1-2 cups, daily. (+0)
- C. Multiple cups, throughout the day. (+1 depleting)
- D. I cannot function without it. I crash without it. (+2 depleting)
6. What’s your relationship to social media right now?
- A. Light. I check and move on. (+0)
- B. Moderate. I post, scroll, engage. (+1 depleting)
- C. Heavy. It’s the first thing I check, the last thing I check, and I check throughout the day. (+2 depleting)
- D. It’s eating my time and I can’t stop. (+3 depleting)
7. When you finish a task, what feels good?
- A. Genuine satisfaction. (+2 healthy)
- B. Brief relief, then crash. (+1)
- C. Nothing. Even completing things feels flat. (+0, big signal, dopamine drought)
Scoring
| Bucket | Score |
|---|---|
| Healthy dopamine sources | _____ |
| Depleting dopamine sources | _____ |
What your scores mean
If healthy >> depleting (5+ point gap):
Your dopamine system is running on real fuel. Keep doing what you’re doing. Notice when this slips.
If depleting >> healthy (5+ point gap):
You’re running on junk dopamine. Short hits that don’t actually fuel anything. The ADHD brain on junk dopamine looks like: scrolling for hours, eating sugar, binge-watching, getting into pointless internet fights, and feeling worse afterward. The fix is not to “stop scrolling.” The fix is to add real dopamine sources first, THEN reduce junk.
If both are roughly equal (within 4 points):
You’re getting some real fuel, but it’s competing with depletion. Common state. Action: protect the healthy sources fiercely. Don’t sacrifice exercise / connection / creating for “more productivity.”
If both are LOW:
This is dopamine drought. Often part of burnout, depression, or hormonal shifts. The body has stopped seeking pleasure. This is not a personal failure, it’s a chemistry signal. See the burnout phase quiz, talk to a doctor, and lower demands while you rebuild.
The refueling order (if you’re depleted)
Don’t try to fix everything at once. Run this order over the next 2-4 weeks.
- Movement first. 10-15 min daily. Walking counts. Don’t skip this.
- Real connection. One Hive Session, one in-person meet-up, one phone call this week. Not text.
- Sleep. 7+ hours. Stop sacrificing this for “productivity.”
- Real food. Protein in the morning. Stop running on caffeine + sugar.
- THEN reduce junk dopamine. Phone in another room. Apps with time limits. Single-task again.
The order matters. If you try to remove junk dopamine BEFORE adding real fuel, your brain will rebel. It’s not addiction. It’s chemistry.
Reminder
ADHD brains aren’t broken. They’re just running on a different fuel mix. Junk dopamine is what your brain reaches for when real dopamine is scarce.
You can’t shame yourself out of this. You can refuel it.
Borrow real-time dopamine in our community. Try a Hive Session free for 7 days →
Back to “ADHD Brain Chemistry” →
A quiz from ND Hive. Built for people whose phone has been running their nervous system for years.