Alcoholism and OCD?
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: London
Posts: 43
Alcoholism and OCD?
Had a weird experience when going to collect my things from my former home.
The bathroom was organised very strangely. Everything in there had been put on to the window sill and set out in groups of 2 or 4 e.g. 2 mouthwashes, 4 shower gels etc. The strangest thing was there were even 2 hand soap dispensers next to each other and both were full. I know it sounds crazy to comment on but when it is your former home you notice these things. It looked very strange and completely different to when we lived together.
There were no OCD behaviours that I had ever seen before. If anything out of the 2 of us I was the more set in my ways as to how I liked things laid out around the house and he couldn't have cared less about the small details (not in a lazy way he always contributed to chores). It was only the bathroom that looked like this.
Is anyone else aware of a connection between alcoholism and OCD? Or even if not OCD some kind of ritualised behaviour? It was almost a bit like hoarding too with multiple numbers of the same items group together when only 1 person lives there. Is it possible for behaviours like this to come on so quickly?
The bathroom was organised very strangely. Everything in there had been put on to the window sill and set out in groups of 2 or 4 e.g. 2 mouthwashes, 4 shower gels etc. The strangest thing was there were even 2 hand soap dispensers next to each other and both were full. I know it sounds crazy to comment on but when it is your former home you notice these things. It looked very strange and completely different to when we lived together.
There were no OCD behaviours that I had ever seen before. If anything out of the 2 of us I was the more set in my ways as to how I liked things laid out around the house and he couldn't have cared less about the small details (not in a lazy way he always contributed to chores). It was only the bathroom that looked like this.
Is anyone else aware of a connection between alcoholism and OCD? Or even if not OCD some kind of ritualised behaviour? It was almost a bit like hoarding too with multiple numbers of the same items group together when only 1 person lives there. Is it possible for behaviours like this to come on so quickly?
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Join Date: Aug 2011
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Ally......my first thought is that a woman may have done it. Women, in particular, are more into bathrooms than most men, I think.......
After my son quit drinking....he did become more attentive to details....and, much more organized.....but, I wouldn't say OCD.......
dandylion
After my son quit drinking....he did become more attentive to details....and, much more organized.....but, I wouldn't say OCD.......
dandylion
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My own thought immediately was that he did it to make you think he had someone over on a regular basis. Maybe he's seeing someone, maybe he's not. Either way, it's really not your concern.
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Join Date: Aug 2010
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Originally Posted by LexieCat 
My own thought immediately was that he did it to make you think he had someone over on a regular basis. Maybe he's seeing someone, maybe he's not. Either way, it's really not your concern.
As for OCD and alcoholism, I can only say that my XAH had anxiety issues and depression which all fall along the same co-morbid conditions as OCD, which is anxiety related. I wouldn't say it's not possible but for it to happen all of a sudden, that is what seems surprising.
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Join Date: Sep 2012
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My husband is diagnosed OCD. It's not really something that comes and goes. It is either is, or is not. I suppose if one were drunk enough it might subdue some of the behavior. Certainly not all, and you would have known - believe me you would have.
So I agree with the others - someone else did it or he did it with the intent of making you think someone else did.
Move on from it. Former is former.
So I agree with the others - someone else did it or he did it with the intent of making you think someone else did.
Move on from it. Former is former.
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: USA
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My X has OCD (not about cleaning though, believe me). When his anxiety is high, he focuses on something and cannot stop. A lot of projects that have to be done, and done just right, that second, no matter what else is going on around him. And he would not talk about anything else except that project.
It was really fun.....ugh....
It was really fun.....ugh....
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: London
Posts: 43
Thank you for all of your replies.
Ultimately I know it isn't any of my business but I suppose it is more of the same shock of finding strange habits/behaviours of someone you thought you knew.
This in conjunction with all of the curtains being wrapped up around the poles in each room was very weird to me. Whatever the reasons, the insanity of alcoholism is enough of an explanation without more needed.
Ultimately I know it isn't any of my business but I suppose it is more of the same shock of finding strange habits/behaviours of someone you thought you knew.
This in conjunction with all of the curtains being wrapped up around the poles in each room was very weird to me. Whatever the reasons, the insanity of alcoholism is enough of an explanation without more needed.
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Join Date: Jun 2015
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Most of the addicts I know, which is quite a few, have really bad underlying anxiety disorders. They realize their lives are out of control so they focus on things they can control. Growing up my house was always a mess. Then my dad would get into these emotional phases of massive cleaning and I had to help. It was pretty obsessive. When your environment is in order it's easy to convince yourself your life is in order.
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