Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) causes unwanted, repetitive thoughts that lead to compulsive actions. If you struggle with OCD, you may be self-medicating with alcohol to ease the anxiety caused by the disorder. If so, thinking, “Only alcohol could calm down my OCD” may result in worse OCD symptoms – plus an alcohol problem.
Learn About Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be an intensely distressing and isolating experience. The relentless barrage of unwanted, intrusive thoughts and the overwhelming urge to perform repetitive compulsions can feel like an unending battle, consuming vast amounts of time and energy. If you’re caught in this cycle, desperately seeking any semblance of peace, including the temporary relief that alcohol might seem to offer, please know that your desire to alleviate such profound pain is completely understandable. You are not alone in this struggle, and acknowledging the weight of this daily burden is the first step towards finding healthier and more effective ways to manage your OCD.
OCD is a neurodivergent brain disorder that shares features with anxiety disorder because it is also fear based. Obsessive thought distortions cause irrational fear. The obsessions then trigger compulsive behaviors as a coping response in an effort to calm emotional distress.
Intrusive OCD thoughts drive the person to spend large amounts of time trying to calm fear and anxiety and self-soothe. The time and energy spent on coping behaviors make OCD exhausting for individuals.
Some examples of obsessive thoughts include:
- Irrational fears, such as fear of germs or pollution, or a fear of burning down the house
- Disturbing thoughts, such as those involving religious, or violent thoughts or fantasies about a loved one
- Extreme need for order and symmetry, a form of rigidity, results in intense stress when items are misaligned
- Fear of harming, such as thoughts of self-harm or harming others
Some examples of the coping behaviors include:
- Washing hands over and over until raw, fear of touching surfaces, obsessive cleaning rituals
- Checking behaviors, like repeatedly checking that the lights are turned off, the stove is off, or the doors are locked
- Arranging items to be perfectly spaced, placed in certain patterns, or turned in a certain direction
- Counting in patterns
- Mentally repeating a phrase, word, or prayer in attempt to self-soothe
What Are the Reasons for Self-Medicating OCD with Alcohol?
If you struggle with OCD you might have tried to relieve the anxious symptoms with alcohol. In fact, you may come to believe that, “Only alcohol could calm my OCD.” The problem with using alcohol to calm the OCD symptoms is that alcohol itself can become an added problem. Not only is alcohol is addictive, but it can end up making the OCD symptoms worse once the alcohol wears off.
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that has a warm, calming effect. People often resort to alcohol in an attempt to reduce stress or anxiety and promote relaxation. Continued use of alcohol as a coping method for OCD, increases the risk of becoming alcoholic.
How Alcohol Makes OCD Worse
At first, alcohol might seem to help ease the anxiety and stress that come with OCD. It can create a temporary sense of calm, making obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors feel less intense. However, this relief is short-lived and can actually make OCD symptoms worse over time.
The Brain Chemicals Involved
Our brains use chemicals called neurotransmitters to send messages. Three important ones related to OCD and alcohol are:
Serotonin: Helps regulate mood and anxiety.
GABA: Calms the brain and reduces anxiety.
Glutamate: Excites the brain and is involved in learning and memory.
Alcohol affects these chemicals. Initially, it boosts GABA, making you feel relaxed. But as the alcohol wears off, GABA levels drop, and glutamate levels rise, leading to increased anxiety and agitation. This rebound effect can intensify OCD symptoms.
The Cycle of Drinking and OCD
Because alcohol temporarily reduces anxiety, someone with OCD might drink to find relief. But as the effects fade, anxiety and OCD symptoms can return even stronger. This can lead to more drinking, creating a harmful cycle where both OCD and alcohol use worsen each other.
Impact on Decision-Making
Alcohol also affects the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and self-control. This can make it harder for someone with OCD to resist compulsive behaviors or stick to treatment plans. Even small amounts of alcohol can impair judgment, making OCD management more challenging.
While alcohol might seem to offer quick relief from OCD symptoms, it ultimately makes things worse. It disrupts brain chemistry and impairs the ability to manage compulsions effectively. Seeking healthier coping strategies and professional support is crucial for managing OCD without relying on alcohol.
Addressing a Common Misconception: Can Alcohol Trigger OCD?
It’s understandable to wonder if alcohol use could be the initial cause of obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, current scientific research does not support the idea that alcohol consumption can directly trigger the onset of OCD in individuals who were not already predisposed to the condition.
OCD is believed to arise from a complex interplay of genetic, neurological, and environmental factors. While the exact mechanisms are still being researched, it’s understood to be a neurobiological disorder involving specific brain circuits and neurotransmitter imbalances. These underlying vulnerabilities typically develop independently of substance use.
What research does consistently show is that alcohol can significantly exacerbate existing OCD symptoms. As discussed in the previous section, alcohol’s impact on neurotransmitters like serotonin, GABA, and glutamate, as well as its impairment of executive functions, can worsen the intensity and frequency of both obsessions and compulsions in individuals who already have OCD.
Therefore, while alcohol is unlikely to be the root cause of OCD, it can act as a potent catalyst, making the already challenging symptoms even more difficult to manage. This is a crucial distinction to understand for anyone with OCD who may be considering or using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Instead of alleviating the core issues of OCD, alcohol often throws fuel on the fire, leading to a more severe presentation of the disorder.
Risk of Developing Alcohol Use Disorder
Studies confirm that there is a significant link between OCD and alcohol use disorder. The rate of alcoholism among individuals with OCD is five times higher than the general population. People with OCD often drink to relieve anxiety, despite the complex relationship between the two disorders.
Alcohol use disorder develops over time as the body becomes more tolerant to the effects of alcohol. This leads to increased alcohol consumption to achieve the initial relaxing effects, which can result in dependence and addiction.
If you have OCD and wonder if you have developed alcohol use disorder, see if you have any of these symptoms:
- Drinking alone
- Drinking much more than you originally intended
- Mood swings
- Lying about how much you drink
- Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed in favor of drinking
- Looking for reasons to drink, such as to aid symptoms of anxiety
- Continue to drink even though it is causing negative consequences in life
- Experiencing blackouts
- Irritability
- Neglecting responsibilities
- Isolating from family and friends
- Engaging in high risk behaviors
- Alcohol cravings
- Frequent hangovers or “hangxiety”
Taking Proactive Steps: Addressing Alcohol Use and OCD
If you’ve found yourself turning to alcohol as a way to manage the anxiety and distress stemming from your OCD, it’s essential to recognize this as a potential warning sign and take proactive steps to understand and address this pattern. While professional treatment in a dual diagnosis program offers the most comprehensive support, there are immediate actions you can take:
Track Your Alcohol Intake: Start keeping a detailed record of when, how much, and why you are drinking. Note if your alcohol use correlates with specific OCD triggers or increased anxiety levels. This awareness can illuminate the patterns of self-medication.
Recognize Increasing Tolerance: Pay attention to whether you need more alcohol to achieve the same calming effect you once did. An increasing tolerance is a key indicator that your body is adapting to alcohol, raising the risk of dependence and a worsening cycle.
Identify Triggers for Drinking Related to OCD Symptoms: Become aware of the specific obsessions, compulsions, or situations that make you feel the urge to drink. Understanding these triggers can help you anticipate and develop alternative responses.
Explore Alcohol-Free Coping Mechanisms: Actively seek and practice alternative ways to manage OCD-related anxiety and distress. This might include mindfulness exercises, deep breathing techniques, engaging in calming hobbies, physical activity, or utilizing skills learned in therapy (even if you are not currently in formal treatment, exploring basic CBT or ERP concepts online can be a starting point).
Seek Professional Help Specifically for the Co-occurrence: If you recognize a pattern of using alcohol to manage your OCD, it’s crucial to reach out to a mental health professional or an addiction specialist who has experience treating dual diagnoses. Openly discussing both your OCD and alcohol use will allow for the development of a tailored treatment plan that addresses both conditions simultaneously.
Taking these steps can empower you to gain greater awareness of your coping mechanisms and begin exploring healthier alternatives, even as you consider or engage in professional dual diagnosis treatment.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment for OCD and Alcohol Use Disorder
If you felt that only alcohol could calm down the OCD, a co-occurring alcohol use disorder might have resulted. If this is the case, the best action to take is to enroll in a dual diagnosis treatment program. These are specialty residential rehabs that provide both mental health treatment and addiction recovery support.
The residential program provides 24-hour support and a menu of daily therapies and classes. We offer activities that support both alcohol recovery and psychiatric management of OCD.
These are the primary treatment elements at a dual diagnosis program:
- Detox and Withdrawal. Patients often need alcohol detox before starting treatment. Medically monitored withdrawal management will provide the interventions to help relieve any discomfort.
- Psychotherapy. We select evidence-based counseling for the specific dual diagnosis. For example, therapies to help OCD and co-occurring alcoholism may include CBT, ERPT, and habit reversing therapy.
- Group Therapy. Group therapy allows peers in recovery to form close bonds through sharing and encouragement.
- Medication. An antidepressant may help manage the symptoms of OCD. There are also medications to help reduce alcohol cravings.
- Recovery Meetings. 12-step or SMART Recovery provide frameworks for overcoming alcohol use disorder.
- Psychosocial. Treatment for a dual diagnosis includes relapse prevention planning, recovery skills, and working on improving social skills.
- Holistic Methods. Since OCD tends to cause anxiety, holistic activities that induce a calm state of mind can be helpful.
How Alcohol Can Interfere with OCD Therapy
Engaging in therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD requires a clear and consistent mind. Introducing alcohol into this equation can create significant roadblocks to progress, hindering your ability to fully benefit from the very tools designed to help you.
Alcohol’s Shadow on Self-Awareness: Therapy hinges on developing a deeper understanding of your thought patterns, triggers, and emotional responses related to OCD. Alcohol, even in moderate amounts, can cloud this self-awareness. It can blunt your ability to accurately identify subtle shifts in anxiety or recognize the early stages of obsessive thinking, making it harder to apply the coping mechanisms learned in therapy proactively. This diminished self-perception can create a disconnect between your in-session learning and your real-world experiences.
The Erosion of Motivation and Effort: Overcoming OCD demands significant motivation and a willingness to actively engage in challenging therapeutic exercises, particularly exposure tasks in ERP. Alcohol consumption can erode this intrinsic motivation. The temporary ease it offers might make the often-difficult work of confronting fears seem less necessary or appealing. This can lead to missed therapy sessions, reduced effort in completing homework assignments, and an overall diminished commitment to the recovery process.
Creating False Associations and Dependence: Effective OCD therapy aims to break the maladaptive link between obsessions and compulsions, fostering new, healthier responses to anxiety. When alcohol is used as a consistent “off-switch” for OCD-related distress, it creates a powerful, albeit false, association. Your brain may begin to rely on alcohol as the primary means of finding relief, weakening your confidence in the therapeutic strategies and making it harder to trust your own ability to manage anxiety without the substance. This can inadvertently create a new form of dependence, hindering the development of true autonomy in managing your OCD.
Hindering Emotional Processing: Therapy provides a safe space to process the often intense emotions underlying OCD, such as fear, guilt, and shame. Alcohol acts as an emotional suppressant, preventing you from fully experiencing and working through these feelings within the therapeutic context. This emotional avoidance can stall progress, as unresolved emotions can continue to fuel obsessions and compulsions. By numbing these feelings, alcohol prevents the deeper emotional learning that is crucial for long-term healing in OCD therapy.
The Importance of a Clear Path: To truly harness the transformative potential of OCD therapy, establishing a clear and consistent path, unburdened by the influence of alcohol, is paramount. Reducing or eliminating alcohol use can sharpen your self-awareness, bolster your motivation, prevent the creation of false dependencies, and allow for more authentic emotional processing, ultimately paving the way for more meaningful and sustainable recovery.
LifeSync Malibu’s Rehab Program for OCD and Alcoholism
LifeSync Malibu offers a luxury setting and expert psychiatric support for individuals struggling with the dual diagnosis of OCD and alcoholism. If you’ve been thinking, “only alcohol could calm down my OCD,” you may have developed alcohol use disorder. If so, you would benefit from our dual diagnosis treatment program. Please reach out to us today at (866) 491-4426.