Originally Posted by tealily

Don't be embarrassed! It's all part of the spectrum of anxiety, and it is treatable, as Scott said.

I tried to dull my anxiety with alcohol, and stopped taking the medication I had been prescribed (because you are not supposed to drink while taking it), and of course it only made my anxiety worse. It was a recipe for disaster.

Now that you've stopped alcohol, there may be a way for your docs to help you with medication and/or with therapy for the OCD. It's not anything to be ashamed of!

I have helped support a family member through OCD struggles. What's interesting to me now, in stopping drinking, is that some of the strategies you use to battle OCD are very applicable to combatting the "alcoholic voice". OCD impulses are often described as a "brain trick". Your brain is falsely telling you you "have" to do something (wash your hands, check a lock). But it's a lie. A brain trick. You tell it to shut up, go away, get lost.. just the way you do the AV when it tells you you can have a drink

Please talk to your therapist and doctor and keep us posted! Cheering you on. You've got this!