Aidy Smith, known for his role in Amazon Prime series The Three Drinkers, is a familiar name to the trade and consumers. Outside of TV, he champions neurodiversity in the workplace and here talks about his experience in the drinks world as someone with ADHD
1. I felt held back from being able to open certain doors
On one hand, being someone who thinks differently in such a traditional world can hold you back. If you don’t ‘fit the bill’, then you tend to be overlooked. At the same time, however, the industry is desperate for innovation. It’s the very neurodivergent minds ostracised in traditional companies that come up with the next wave of innovations to lead us forward. As I’ve become more confident in knowing my ability to work hard and succeed in my own way, I’ve been a lot less bothered by others’ perceptions. You learn to forge relationships and work on projects with people who can see the value in what you have to offer because of who you are. They don’t see you as being a burden or having a weakness, but see an opportunity to flourish together.
In terms of trade attitudes, I feel like they are beginning to change but there’s still an awful lot of talk and no action. People love to voice their opinions on how important it is to raise awareness on these kinds of topics because they don’t want to look insensitive – but when asked to actually support, silence often follows. The irony is, there’s likely a lot of people working in the trade who are neurodivergent themselves and don’t even know it yet. What I am seeing as time goes by is that parents of kids who are neurodivergent, or who have themselves got a diagnosis tend to be the trailblazers of support. I take my hat off to them because most of the work they do is completely volunteered within their organisations because they want to be the change.
2. I didn’t fit in
When I started my journey into wine and spirits journalism 12 years ago, it was an incredibly traditional place. I’m gay, have Tourette’s and ADHD, and can be rather forward – suffice to say I didn’t exactly fit in. No one wanted to talk to you because you weren’t part of the circle and there was an air of judgement. To be honest, I think I still have PTSD from this. The general lack of understanding of neurodivergence (ND) would lead to people asking why I talk so much or observing and passing comments when I would twitch or tic. This wasn’t done out of malice, more the fact there’s so little education and awareness around ND. But it would leave me feeling so small. Now, as the age of social media has taken off, people are able to express themselves beyond traditional media outlets and a new, more understanding generation of trade journalists has emerged. Rather than being referred to as having a screw loose, like so many ND people have been in the past, we’re beginning to see people embrace their differences as something to celebrate.
For me, getting my diagnosis was a life-changing moment. It finally allowed me to understand why I am the way I am, not out of fault, but just because that’s who I am. By then looking at self-care, life management and, if necessary, medication, you begin to fully embrace who you are and learn to love yourself for it. I’d always had an ability to thrive from my Tourette’s when I put my mind to something – now I had the same drive from understanding how my ADHD affects me. By harnessing that excess energy and channelling it into what I love doing, I was able to conquer up to four times the amount of work another individual could do in one day. People often seem perplexed at how I’m able to juggle so many plates simultaneously. I genuinely think my neurodivergence is responsible for that. What others may deem as ‘weird’ or a ‘weakness’ is in actuality my very catalyst to success.
3. I founded a community for others in Drinklusive
I now want to support the next generation (and I don’t mean by age) of drinks writers and communicators who want to be a part of the action. This is done by giving them the tools to learn via mentoring, the credentials via Level 2 and 3 WSET qualifications and the access to a multitude of national and international publications where their articles are published. My hope is that by seeing this programme exists, neurodivergent people can see that this industry is a welcoming place. I’ve had countless people reach out over time to ask advice or guidance who I’ve been able to connect with others in the industry. You’d also be surprised just how many people in our industry realise they are neurodivergent by speaking with our mentees, who are quite open about embracing who they are. I’ve done a lot of talks at organisations to raise awareness on Drinklusive and inclusivity. Off the back of that I’ve easily had 100-plus people tell me they’ve gone on to pursue their own diagnosis – and this is just the beginning.
To anyone out there struggling I’d say there are so many people just like you out there in the world. Connect with your fellow ADHD’ers and become a part of a community – something you’ve likely never had the chance to feel by always being the odd one out. Something I’ve really begun to observe about myself is that when I walk into a room of strangers, nine times out of ten I’ll gravitate towards the other neurodivergent people within the room. I have no idea why or how it happens, but it just does. We feel safe in each others company because we understand one another. Also, and crucially, don’t just get a diagnosis and stop there. Really lean into yourself as a person. The only way you can create positive change is by putting in the effort to learn more about who you are, why you are, what triggers you, what calms you and ultimately what helps you be at your best. Too many people think a diagnosis and popping a pill will resolve everything – but that’s just the start. If you put in the real work, the rewards will follow and you’ll live a life of happiness you never knew could be a reality.
