You know the light switch does not need flipping again. You flip it anyway, four or five times, before you can start the thing you walked into the room to do. That is obsessive-compulsive disorder: unwanted repeating thoughts and urges you cannot put down. It shows up as sensations and urges, as thoughts that will not leave, and as moods that swing with them. Ordinary days get hard to enjoy. Which is a large part of why people with OCD end up using drugs and alcohol to quiet it down. So is there a link between OCD and addiction?

Obsession vs. addiction

Obsessive behavior can turn into compulsive addiction. Obsession builds a ritual into your day, and the ritual usually starts in fear. You check the doors several times before you believe they are locked. You scrub your hands after touching certain objects or shaking someone’s hand.

Repetitive thoughts can wreck a day on their own. They can be aggressive sexual images, thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, or religious compulsions. The worse the disturbance gets, the more likely a person is to reach for drugs to shut it up.

Addiction is also a mental health disorder, a brain disease. Once tolerance builds and nothing feels right without using, you are in it. Put the two together and the symptoms, the cravings and the urge to avoid your own thoughts all get louder.

Alcohol and OCD

Compulsive behavior that turns into addiction most often involves alcohol. People managing obsessive-compulsive disorder reach for it because it is a depressant and it slows the central nervous system down. Self-medicating is common and it is dangerous, because addiction forms and brings its own damage. Both OCD and addiction can be set off by genetics, by the environment a person lives in day after day, and by trauma, including trauma from childhood.

Alcohol pushes serotonin up, the brain gets the spike it wants, and physical dependency follows. High serotonin also throws the chemistry of the brain and body off balance, which makes OCD symptoms worse. So drinking to shut the thoughts and compulsions off tends to turn the volume up instead.

Chronic drinking interrupts the pathways the brain uses to send messages through the body. Heavy drinking wears a person down, and because OCD takes different forms, the symptoms and side effects differ from person to person. Symptoms that show up with OCD and addiction include:

• Constant doubting
• Washing and cleaning
• Fearing contamination
• Demanding reassurance
• Disturbing sexual images
• Counting in certain patterns
• Repeating a prayer or phrase
• Thoughts about doing something out of character in public
• Aggressive thoughts about losing control and harming yourself or others

Alcohol addiction treatment is where to start if you are drinking to get away from OCD thoughts and behaviors. It can be prescription pills or heroin instead of alcohol. Look for a treatment center that offers dual-diagnosis treatment if you are dealing with both.

Compulsive behavior and addiction treatment at Pines Recovery Life Detox

Severe OCD can lead to substance use, and the medical staff at Pines Recovery Life Detox is set up to take patients safely through withdrawal. Keeping people comfortable is most of the job, in detox and in the therapy that runs alongside it, including cognitive behavioral therapy and other programs. The skills you learn there are what keep emotions manageable, OCD under better control and relapse further away.

Speak to a specialist at Pines Recovery Life Detox by calling 800-263-3869 today. Ask about our inpatient detox center to get started.

Related readings:

What Is Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome?

Treating Co-Occurring Disorders