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Hello everyone, a few months back I was told I have OCD by my psychiatrist. I am on medication. The symptoms have reduced but they could pop out of the blue like the OCD symptoms. Mine is more to do with false memory OCD and it can come in different themes.

Anyway, in the past few months, I have kept myself away from alcohol. Deliberately. When I was first told about OCD I was in a bad shape and my parents too are extremely firm that alcohol is a trigger and it's better to stay away from it.

Well it is not that I did not drink before but after that one instance and multiple ones, with or without false memory - I have been too scared of drinking. But the thing is there are times these days when I have the urge to drink with my husband or friends. But the fear gets the better of me. And also somehow know my parents would be really upset about it because they have seen me suffer.

I was wondering if anyone here had insights to offer? Is avoiding alcohol a solution? Because the thought of suffering for days or months at end is draining.

Or is it that OCD is one of those disorders which kind of subdues you? Some tab on your carefreeness, which is something I feel these days.

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1 hour ago, Pranjali said:

I was wondering if anyone here had insights to offer? Is avoiding alcohol a solution? Because the thought of suffering for days or months at end is draining.

Alcohol is not a solution. 

Mindfulness really can help. Because it switches focus from the active "doing" part of the brain, where we do all our obsessing and compulsing, into the benign "just being" part of the brain, where the mind becomes calm, and we simply focus in the present in the moment. 

But mindfulness should be done in addition to the essential core therapy of CBT which teaches us why in OCD we think and behave the way we do, and how to change that. 

A good downloadable book to get the hang of mindfulness is "Mindfulness on the go, peace in your pocket" by Padraig O'Morain. Such simple guides are an easy way to learn how to access the mindfulness state when needed. 

 

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Usually we are told to avoid alcohol as it interferes with the medication we are on for OCD, and will make us even drowsier. Also alcohol alters mood which the medication is trying to control, and a stable mood is the goal for OCD sufferers. However an occasional glass of wine or beer with friends isn't going to hurt. I would stress alcohol shouldn't be used as a crutch, but it isn't going to create OCD, and you shouldn't beat yourself up over a small enjoyable social event with friends,as we miss so much enjoyment suffering with this illness as it is.

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1 hour ago, Obsessively Scared said:

Usually we are told to avoid alcohol as it interferes with the medication we are on for OCD, and will make us even drowsier. Also alcohol alters mood which the medication is trying to control, and a stable mood is the goal for OCD sufferers. However an occasional glass of wine or beer with friends isn't going to hurt. I would stress alcohol shouldn't be used as a crutch, but it isn't going to create OCD, and you shouldn't beat yourself up over a small enjoyable social event with friends,as we miss so much enjoyment suffering with this illness as it is.

I agree!    

11 hours ago, Pranjali said:

I was wondering if anyone here had insights to offer? Is avoiding alcohol a solution? Because the thought of suffering for days or months at end is draining.

Hi Pranjali,

My take on this is, it is avoidance behaviour, & providing you drink in moderation, I don't see it being a problem either.

If you showed a history of being alcohol dependent, or were using it to relieve anxiety that comes from OCD, then my answer would be totally different altogether! 

All the best.

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