Tip: Alcohol and OCD

In a recent post, I discussed marijuana and OCD, and today I want to talk about a related topic–alcohol and OCD. There are similarities and differences between the two “vices” and how they associate with OCD. I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to claim that alcohol, despite being much more prevalent and accepted in everyday society than marijuana, is a more harmful drug. Too much of it can lead to aggression, violence, and drunk driving accidents, whereas on the other hand, too much marijuana will usually just result in sleep. For me especially, alcohol was a constant presence as I worked at a brewery for a while. I was frequently propositioned by my coworkers who wanted me to come join them for a drink at lunch or after work. And every time I had to say no because I knew that alcohol (like marijuana) made it that much more difficult to combat my OCD. As I detailed in my marijuana post, OCD is hard enough to face even when your mind is completely focused, so drugs like marijuana and alcohol that derail that focus, can exacerbate the situation. Even a couple drinks would cause my mind to slip and my strong OCD defense walls to come down, meaning that any OCD thoughts that popped up during this time period caused me more anxiety as I was unable to handle them as quickly in the “proper” way. But as I have gotten further in my treatment, I have learned that this attitude towards drinking was a product of my OCD at work, and in the future it might even be helpful for me to drink a little more (weird health treatment I know!) than my current zero. And really, I think the best advice for alcohol and OCD is the same as it was for marijuana and OCD. Be cautious of alcohol’s detrimental effects if you are early in OCD therapy, however if you are faring well in therapy, then alcohol-related exposures (in a safe environment) could be helpful in training your mind to work under adverse circumstances.

The only exception to this (in my experience) is when alcohol, driving, and OCD all mix. Drinking and driving is universally considered to be bad, however one or two drinks and driving is often considered to be ok. But really early on for me, I realized that when other people’s lives were in my hand (either in the car or walking on the road on which I was driving), I needed my mind to be completely clear. And so I refuse to drink if I know I have to drive later that day. This would probably be considered excessive by some people and it could even be argued that OCD has “beaten” me here. But I have come to terms with this decision and have accepted that I would rather be unnecessarily cautious than even risk a slightly addled mind, especially when OCD is involved as well. I am not advocating a teetotaler lifestyle however. Some people with OCD may be able to have a drink or two and still drive completely competently. I would just say to be extra careful as if you have OCD, you have an extra “passenger” that solely exists to make your life more difficult and so making that passenger’s job easier (by drinking) is something to try to avoid.