OCD and Addiction | Symptoms and Treatment Options

OCD takes on different forms, but OCD symptoms generally fall into four categories.  Recognising your specific type can help you feel less alone and better equipped to seek support:

1. Contamination and Cleaning OCD

This type of OCD revolves around a constant fear of germs, dirt or illness. You may be compelled to constantly wash your hands, sanitise every surface or avoid people, places or objects to feel “safe.”

2. Harm and Checking OCD

This type is driven by intense and irrational fears of causing harm. It may be driven by something like accidentally leaving the stove on or feeling responsible for someone else’s safety. You may find yourself checking, re-checking, and even triple-checking to avoid imagined dangers without the fear ever really subsiding.

3. Symmetry and Ordering OCD

If everything around you feels wrong unless it’s perfectly aligned or balanced, then this type of OCD probably sounds familiar. It causes compulsive straightening, counting or arranging with the drive to create symmetry or order, taking over all your thoughts and actions.

4. Forbidden Thoughts and Mental Rituals OCD

This type brings intrusive, distressing thoughts about topics that feel taboo or upsetting, such as sex, religion or violence. To counteract them, people often develop mental rituals like praying, counting or repeating phrases to neutralise the anxiety and “erase” those thoughts, but they never truly succeed.

Research shows that about one in four people with OCD will also face addiction at some point and the connection between them can be both complex and chaotic. Living with OCD can feel like being trapped in a relentless mental storm and some turn to alcohol, drugs or even addictive behaviours in an attempt to quiet the noise. While these might numb the distress for a moment, they often leave you with stronger obsessions, heavier compulsions and the added burden of addiction.

Some of the most commonly co-occurring OCD and addiction struggles include:

OCD and alcohol addiction

Alcohol may feel like a shortcut to calming racing thoughts or reducing anxiety but it’s a false friend. Drinking to cope with OCD often leads to dependency while worsening OCD symptoms in the long run.

OCD and drug addiction

OCD and substance addiction can include prescription medicines and illegal drugs used to soothe symptoms or forget about the stresses of OCD for a while. In either case, drug use can spiral into addiction, leaving you battling OCD symptoms, cravings and addiction harm all at once.

OCD and sex/love addiction

Some people turn to relationships or intimacy as a way to escape their anxiety or obsessive thoughts. However, these patterns can evolve into unhealthy attachments which only add to the emotional pain and can create new obsessions.

OCD and porn addiction

Obsessive porn use can become both a coping mechanism and a compulsion in itself. This then deepens feelings of shame and loneliness, making recovery from either OCD or addiction even more challenging.

OCD and shopping addiction

Retail therapy may feel like a quick fix to distract from obsessive thoughts or lift low moods. However,  compulsive shopping often results in financial stress, guilt and worsening OCD symptoms which lock in the addiction.

Imagine a life where your thoughts no longer hold you hostage and addiction no longer controls your every action. With Recovery Lighthouse’s holistic approach to treatment, that dream can be a reality. Reach out to us today, and together, we can help you find balance, strength and a future of peace and possibility.