- Date posted
- 4y
- Date posted
- 4y
Very true, I went our drinking last night with friends and today has been horrible because of it. It just sucks because here in the uk drinking is such apart of our “going out” culture and I have fun when we go out! But the next day I have sooo much anxiety and fear
- Date posted
- 4y
Exactly!!!! I just started uni so obviously a lot is going on with that kind of stuff and I basically decided to just stop because I in general felt like being healthier. Turns out a lot of my OCD has been worse because of countless hangovers and I'm already feeling better.
- Date posted
- 4y
@ewaedb That’s so good to hear!! Yeah uni culture can be a nightmare for alcohol consumption, I’m just about to finish my degree and there’s been too many times I’ve woken up the next day with so much anxiety because of it! I was lucky tho as my ocd died down considerably during my first and second year of uni, third year it’s back in full force tho haha
- Date posted
- 4y
Hangxiety is the wooooorst.
- Date posted
- 4y
I got sober a little over a year ago specifically because I was so terrified of getting drunk and telling someone about my intrusive thoughts. Also, I get really bad derealization and I started noticing it getting horrible when I was drunk. And after I smoked, my intrusive thoughts would get so vivid and graphic. So I also stay 100% away from alcohol and drugs of any kind. It’s kind of a great side effect to have though 😂 Being sober makes you so much healthier
- Date posted
- 4y
it depends, i became dependent on cannabis because it provided me major relief from my OCD. in fact, you can get a medical marijuana prescription for OCD. obviously abuse can exasperate symptoms of OCD, but now that I have control over my cannabis use I find it actually helps be break from my obsessive thought patterns and enjoy the world non-obsessively - that is, in the present. be weary of casting a generalized condemnation of all drugs, as some can actually benefit those with OCD. additional research is being done with psychedelic drugs (LSD, Psilocybin) to alleviate OCD, and the results are also promising. the only drugs i’d be weary about taking with OCD are stimulants. caffeine alone has caused me to have panic attacks, albeit an amount of caffeine that supersedes an average dose. one or two cups should be fine, but even then if i’m not working out or engaging myself i find they make me anxious. adderal/vyvance always makes my obsessive thoughts / compulsions worse. lastly, alcohol, although not a depressant, is generally a very terrible drug. i tend to drink socially, one every two months, and i don’t have problems. i also don’t get plastered. there is a certain level of nuance required when discussing drug use in relation to any mental health issue, and casting a demonizing generalization against all drugs can actually hurt those suffering more than help.
- Date posted
- 4y
Yeah I mean when I smoked weed in the moment I felt better, but it's the hangover I'm talking about. The hangover made the OCD so much worse. Also I ended up smoking everytime my OCD acted up which is the wrong way to deal with it, because I obviously can't do that forever and I need to learn how to deal with it without any drugs.
- Date posted
- 4y
I see where you’re coming from. I, personally, used to drink very heavily, smoke a ton of pot, and also take non prescribed adderall. And I used to love it all, but when my OCD symptoms started getting really prevalent, any mind altering substance made it horrible. I find that especially with existential OCD and fearing whether or not your surroundings are real, a sober mind really helps you to navigate those fears. I know some other people who have mental health issues that have had “bad trips” and it triggered them so horribly. But I also know some people who do benefit from tripping or who microdose. It depends on the person. I just do better when I’m sober.
- Date posted
- 4y
@Ald21 it’s drug ABUSE that’s the issue. it’s all about the relationship you have with the drug. it’s a complex subject. I’ve had “bad trips” that have made my OCD worse (because I couldn’t accept the fear an uncertainty that was aroused by the psychedelics), and i’ve had amazing trips that practically cured my OCD for weeks afterwards. if you have a healthy, respectable relationship with drugs they can be an enhancement to life. HOWEVER, if you have a history of drug abuse (like i do, heavily abused of weed and nicotine), it is most definitely the best route to refrain from drugs for an extended period of time or deal with the issues that causes you to abuse in the first place. but i agree, a sober mind does allow you to navigate your thoughts easier, in most contexts. however, just because you abused in the past doesn’t mean you can’t have a healthy relationship in the future. just as an unrighteous man can change his wicked ways, so can you change your unrighteous relationship with drugs. remember, drugs have been used since the dawn of man to enduce states of spirituality and transcendence. abusing that relationship will certainly lead to turmoil.
- Date posted
- 4y
@jake Yeah I agree it does depend on the person I guess. For me I've not had a single bad trip and on all my trips I felt amazing, basically only 5% of my OCD was left. But the days after it would be wayyyyyy worse. For me the drugs tend to help while I'm still in the high but the hangover or days after it's just worse.
- Date posted
- 4y
@ewaedb that’s interesting, actually. my last acid trip i felt relief during and weeks afterwards. i feel like a huge part of the psychedelic experience that’s missing from street/recreational use is the lack of a professional helping you understand and integrate the experience afterwards. i’m really excited to see how the oregon psilocybin therapy centers do once they are established.
Related posts
- User type
- OCD Conqueror
- Date posted
- 8w
These treatments are not designed for OCD sufferers because they treat OCD like a logic disorder when OCD is very far from that. Hence why, many patients do not recover with these treatments. ⭐️ Talk therapy involves doing a lot of compulsions like rumination, reassurance-seeking, trying to figure out your thoughts, Etc. ⭐️ Similarly, standard ICBT also involves compulsions such as arguing with your thoughts. For example, if you have POCD, your therapist might say “you know you’re not p*do so just ignore the thoughts.” This is reassurance and can turn into another compulsion called thought-blocking. ‼️A reputable therapist here (Tracie Ibrahim) has told us in a support group that ICBT isn’t even evidence-based (even though people claim that it is) ⭐️ Beware of Instagram “coaches” who want your money and say they specialize in a very specific subtype of OCD (ex. relationship OCD). A good ERP therapist would know that all OCD subtypes are treated the same way so the subtype shouldn’t matter. An ERP therapist should be knowledgeable in all of them because all OCD is just OCD. One of the only things that may differ is the type of exposures you have to do. ⭐️ Also, I suggest you do not use drugs & alcohol as a crutch. You will struggle with your OCD without those, which can possibly lead to addictions. Those substances can even increase your OCD symptoms. ❤️ What I do recommend for OCD recovery: ERP therapy, behavioral activation, ACT, mindfulness, self-compassion, OCD community support, healthy distractions, bonding time with family and friends, and healthy lifestyle habits. These habits include healthy eating (try to stay away from processed foods), going out on nature walks, consistent sleep, and consistent exercise. Let me know in the comments below if you have any extra tips for what’s been helping you through your OCD journey👇
- Date posted
- 6w
3 years ago I got a job that was fully remote. Pay was great, but it took a few months for my life to change. Without getting into too many details I thought I was a full blown schizophrenic that cried in the fetal position every night. As a 27 year old young man who thought I was tough as nails, this crippled me. Learned more about OCD and did some therapy sessions on here. Sessions were great and I highly recommend. However, the exposure and response treatment they recommend is really all you need. It all boils down to facing your fears. No amount of supplements (I spent thousands on them) will get the job done. I said fuck this and just started doing everything I dreaded. Even sat in my own head and let the intrusive thoughts play out on purpose. Harm ocd and psychosis ocd was my main issue. Still is, but whenever I get any intrusive thoughts, I purposely think of something worse and say “top that” (it sucks I know, but it has helped me). I got a new job to where I’m fully back onsite and around people daily. I make it a non negotiable to move everyday even if it’s skipping lunch to take a walk. ALSO… and this is huge. I stopped drinking and smoking and put a huge focus on exercise and nutrition. (Still casual drinks with friends every other weekend, but only light beer. No shots no hard liquor. The socializing is good for me) Dr. Paul saldino and Dr. Chris Palmer are my go to for getting on track. Focus on protein and healthy fats and limit the carbs / processed oils. It’s simple everyone. Face your fears, move around as much as possible, and fuel up and real food. (Cars need gas, not soda). OCD is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. It’s way worse than anyone unaware can imagine. BUT….. recovering is the best feeling possible.
- Date posted
- 5w
I’m curious if anyone else has ever had this. This is my specific theme in regards to my OCD that has been prevalent in my life since 2022. Quick back story: went to a party college for 4.5 years and had a blast, got as drunk as I wanted on weekends and never once felt bad about it. Then, hangovers got worse and I started partying too much. After graduation, I told myself that it’d be a really cool goal to get to the point where I could go out and just have 4 beers. Enough to enjoy myself, not enough to make me hungover. Well, this simple healthy goal turned into a massive obsession. Now, if I go over my limit of 4-5 beers/drinks, two things happen: 1. I give up and binge drink bc I might as well if I’m already over my limit. 2. The next day even if I’m super hungover, unless I can’t bc of work scheduling, I will perform a check where I drink 4 beers and see if I can still get drunk off of those. If I can get drunk, then I feel normal. If I am not as drunk, then this cycle continues. I worry about becoming an alcoholic all the time bc at this point in my life I am very active in my social scene, and alcohol is very much present. While I certainly do not have any family history of alcoholism nor the personality or drive to become one, I still fear that I might one day despite knowing I won’t. I also worry about raising my drinking tolerance by continuing to feed this obsession/compulsion loop. It’s slightly affected my personality and confidence. I’m aware it’s irrational and the solution is to simply cut back as anyone would and go out less frequently, or drink less frequently when I’m out. And yet, my other obsession with alcohol is experiencing the painful withdrawals that alcoholics experience when they stop drinking!! Despite never having experienced those withdrawals when I’ve not drank on a given night. So, it’s a weird one. Thinking the ERP is just going to be not performing those checks. If I’ve reached my limit and am not as drunk, okay. Alcohol absorption is affected by a lot. No need to check my tolerance nor go overboard since I’m not as drunk. We’ll see. I’m on Zoloft too which has helped a ton with other symptoms but this theme is making it less effective and I need to get control of it now.
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