Most people who don't have ADD do not understand it. Unlike having an imagination as to what it might feel like to be an alcoholic, the individual with ADD is keenly aware that the non-ADDers of the world can quite relate. Despite reading about symptomatology and understanding the core sentiment of ADD- poor attention, impulsivity, lack of listening, etc., most adults believe that it is more in an individuals control than they think. To be fair, there are many people who use their diagnosis as justification for poor decision-making and although they may have some defense, often the world become weary of excuses that they believe are correctable issues with proper discipline and structure.