- Date posted
- 1y
For those who use(d) alcohol to cope
If you’re like me, you use alcohol to cope and it kinda pushes the OCD thoughts way down - temporarily. My question is, does quitting help in the long term?
If you’re like me, you use alcohol to cope and it kinda pushes the OCD thoughts way down - temporarily. My question is, does quitting help in the long term?
For me personally , what works for me is moderation in most situations, including alcohol. On the overall I drink 1 to drinks only roughly 5 days out of each week with zero negative consequences.
@777Q Yeah that’s partly my issue, is moderation. Thanks for responding.
@Tmb1990 I feel with sticking to the moderation part there are a few health benefits for me. For me not having more than 10 drinks spread out evenly over a 7 day period, is a positive for me and I look forward to the drink , but I make sure I can do without it also , so it doesn’t become a bad habit.
Typo that is 1 to 2 drinks .
Personally, I have used alcohol to numb the anxiety and thoughts that come with OCD. I’ve also used alcohol to feel more “relaxed” during compulsions and used it to justify compulsing. (Makes no sense right lol) but yes alcohol tends to worsen ocd symptoms! I have cut back to just social situations rather as a way to cope. I also tell myself “you may feel good right now but the thoughts will be there when you sober up” this helps me be more mindful
Looking back, I realize I’ve had OCD since I was 7. though I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 30. As a kid, I was consumed by fears I couldn’t explain: "What if God isn’t real? What happens when we die? How do I know I’m real?" These existential thoughts terrified me, and while everyone has them from time to time, I felt like they were consuming my life. By 12, I was having daily panic attacks about death and war, feeling untethered from reality as depersonalization and derealization set in. At 15, I turned to drinking, spending the next 15 years drunk, trying to escape my mind. I hated myself, struggled with my body, and my intrusive thoughts. Sobriety forced me to face it all head-on. In May 2022, I finally learned I had OCD. I remember the exact date: May 10th. Reading about it, I thought, "Oh my God, this is it. This explains everything." My main themes were existential OCD and self-harm intrusive thoughts. The self-harm fears were the hardest: "What if I kill myself? What if I lose control?" These thoughts terrified me because I didn’t want to die. ERP changed everything. At first, I thought, "You want me to confront my worst fears? Are you kidding me?" But ERP is gradual and done at your pace. My therapist taught me to lean into uncertainty instead of fighting it. She’d say, "Maybe you’ll kill yourself—who knows?" At first, it felt scary, but for OCD, it was freeing. Slowly, I realized my thoughts were just thoughts. ERP gave me my life back. I’m working again, I’m sober, and for the first time, I can imagine a future. If you’re scared to try ERP, I get it. But if you’re already living in fear, why not try a set of tools that can give you hope?
How long did it take to make this? And is it actually possible?
I want to beat OCD because I have seen and felt the benefits of clearing my brain from unnecessary, pointless, thoughts. OCD is like 0 calorie food. It’s pointless. No nutrition or benefits come from my obsessions or compulsions. I don’t care to have answers to everything anymore. I catch myself just trying to stress myself out so that I have some worry to feed on. But like I said, it’s a 0 calorie food. I get nothing from it but wasted time and energy. My brain feels more spacious when I’m not consumed by OCD. I’m present. My personality has room to be herself without making space for bullshit. I tell myself now that worry is poison. I think Willie Nelson was the person I got that quote from? Anyways, that imagery of worries being poison for the mind has been transformative for me. I’m evolving. 💖 Thanks NOCD community.
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