OCD and Addiction Treatment in Colorado
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most well-known and often misunderstood mental health conditions, affecting millions of individuals with persistent, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors that can feel impossible to control. For men living with OCD, the distress and isolation caused by these symptoms can significantly increase the risk of turning to substances as a way to cope, making the co-occurrence of OCD and addiction far more common than many realize.
At Spero Recovery, a men’s residential treatment center located just outside Denver in Evergreen, Colorado, we address both conditions simultaneously through our integrated dual diagnosis program. This ensures that men receive the comprehensive care they need to heal from addiction while managing the underlying OCD symptoms that fuel it.
What Is OCD?
OCD is an acronym for the mental health and anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder. Individuals who suffer from OCD experience recurrent obsessions and compulsions. While OCD is a lifelong condition, with the help of behavioral therapy and medication, individuals who suffer from OCD can learn how to manage their conditions.
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Most of the signs and symptoms of OCD can be separated into two categories, obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repeated thoughts, urges, or mental images that are intrusive and thus, unwanted by the person experiencing them.
Obsessions caused by OCD often make people anxious. To help themselves manage this newfound anxiety, people with OCD will display certain compulsive behaviors. Compulsions are repeated behaviors that people feel a deep, unnatural urge to do, often as a result of obsessive thoughts. For example, someone with OCD may develop the compulsive behavior to repeatedly wash their hands after fearfully obsessing over germs.
The Difference Between OCD Thoughts and Anxiety
While the obsessions and compulsions that OCD causes are often thought or done repeatedly, not all repeated thoughts and behaviors are due to OCD. To distinguish whether or not a person’s obsessions or compulsions are just regular thoughts and compulsions or those of a person with OCD, consider these characteristic traits of people with OCD:
- They can’t control their obsessions or compulsions, even when they know that they’re irrational or over-the-top.
- They spend more than one hour a day on their obsessions and compulsions.
- They don’t get relief from their compulsions, although exhibiting compulsive behaviors due to OCD does ease a person’s anxiety.
- Their daily lives are negatively affected due to their obsessions and compulsions.
What Are Some Examples of OCD Obsessions and Compulsions?
Some of the most common obsessions that people with OCD develop include the following:
- Fear of germs and contamination
- Fear of losing or misplacing something
- Fear of losing control over one’s behavior
- Obsessing over aggressive thoughts towards others or oneself
- Unwanted, forbidden, or taboo thoughts on sex, religion, or harm
- Wanting things to always be symmetrical or in perfect order
Some of the most common compulsions that people with OCD exhibit include the following:
- Excessively cleaning or hand washing
- Organizing everything in a precise way
- Repeatedly checking things such as if the door is locked or not or if the stove is turned off or not
- Counting things
- Repeatedly praying or saying certain words silently to oneself
What Causes OCD?
There is no clear answer for what causes a person to develop OCD. Common factors of OCD though include:
- Genetics or family history of OCD
- Brain abnormalities
- An anxiety-inducing environment growing up
- High activity levels and low serotonin levels in the brain
- Traumatic life events such as bullying, abuse, or neglect
- People who are anxious and meticulous with high personal standards
How To Diagnose OCD
For a person’s obsessions and compulsions to be considered OCD, one must typically exhibit their obsessions and compulsions for at least one hour each day. A person’s obsessions and compulsions must also cause them severe distress and interfere with daily life to receive an OCD diagnosis. To receive an official OCD diagnosis, one must take a physical and psychiatric evaluation.
A Community That Heals and Empowers
The sense of community we foster at Spero Recovery enables our clients to feel comfortable and teaches them interpersonal skills. We want to create a safe environment for our clients; our goal is to provide a space where they can become the people they have always wanted to be.
Expert Clinical Treatment
At Spero Recovery, men receive comprehensive clinical care for addiction in a supportive residential environment. Our licensed clinicians work closely with each client through weekly individual therapy and regular group sessions focused on accountability, emotional growth, and relapse prevention.
Hands-On Healing and Life Skills
We also offer experiential programming, including hikes and other outdoor activities. We also have a full woodworking shop. Inviting specialists onto the premises, such as meditation teachers and chefs, is one of our favorite things to do. Our goal is to teach our guests essential life skills and the importance of building relationships.
OCD and Addiction
Individuals who suffer from mental health disorders, such as OCD, have a stronger chance of also developing substance addictions than people who don’t suffer from mental illness. This is because many people with mental health disorders, such as OCD, use substances to help them cope. Seeking addiction treatment early can provide the support and tools needed to address both the substance use and the underlying mental health concerns.
According to a study published by the Journal of Anxiety Disorders, individuals who suffered from OCD for the first time in childhood or adolescence are more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs later on in life. Overall, most of the participants in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders study reported that they didn’t abuse substances until after their OCD symptoms began.
Of the 323 adults with OCD in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders study, 27% also suffered from a substance use disorder.
A common substance that people with mental health disorders use to help them cope is alcohol. Unfortunately for those who suffer from OCD, drinking large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time can increase a person’s anxiety. Because OCD is technically an anxiety disorder, drinking large quantities of alcohol can, in turn, worsen a person’s OCD. Recognizing this pattern and seeking alcohol addiction treatment in Colorado can be instrumental in managing both the addiction and the underlying mental health condition.
Some people who suffer from anxiety disorders such as OCD may use marijuana to cope. However, marijuana can sometimes cause paranoia in those with OCD. Regular use may also lead to addiction.
Anxiety is a well-known side effect of stimulants. Using and abusing stimulants can worsen a person’s OCD symptoms.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment for OCD and Addiction
In our men’s dual diagnosis program, clients receive integrated treatment for both OCD and substance use disorders simultaneously—because these conditions do not exist in isolation, and treating one without the other often leads to relapse.
When a man addresses his addiction but leaves his OCD untreated, the persistent intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors will eventually drive him back to substances as a way to cope. Conversely, treating OCD without addressing a co-occurring substance use disorder leaves the underlying addiction unmanaged, which can worsen anxiety and fuel the very symptoms that sustain the OCD cycle. For this reason, effective recovery requires that both conditions be treated together, and that is exactly what our integrated dual diagnosis program is designed to provide.
Individuals who suffer from severe OCD and/or severe substance addiction should look into receiving residential treatment that includes dual diagnosis. Inpatient dual diagnosis treatment requires its patients to live in the rehab facilities where they’re receiving care. That way, inpatient dual diagnosis treatment patients can receive 24/7 care and support.
Individuals with moderate to severe OCD and addiction who want to spend their evenings and nights in the comfort of their own homes should look into a partial hospitalization program (PHP). This is because PHPs allow its patients to spend all of their days in rehab and their evenings and nights in their own homes.
An intensive outpatient program (IOP) allows its patients to receive care for two different disorders for a few hours a day, several days a week. When not in treatment, IOP patients get to go back home and live normal lives.
Outpatient dual diagnosis treatment allows patients to attend appointments as needed while living at home. This lower-level of care is ideal for those stepping down from a more intense program.
At our Colorado rehab for men, we offer 12-step programming to help our residents overcome substance use. Our program focuses on the principles of AA’s 12 steps and helping residents work through each step. The sense of community, routine, and accountability that is naturally built into this program can help residents manage OCD symptoms and recover from addiction.
Receive OCD and Addiction Treatment at Spero Recovery
Spero Recovery is a clinical rehab program that focuses on improving the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities that are most affected by alcohol and drug addiction. To achieve its mission, Spero Recovery Center provides an affordable and accessible 30-day recovery program. In addition to its 30-day recovery program, Spero Recovery offers dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders such as OCD and addiction.
To learn more about Spero Recovery and its services, contact us today. Our admissions team is more than willing to answer any questions that you may have.
With over two decades of experience since beginning his career in 1996, Marty has worked extensively across the United States, contributing significantly to clinical leadership teams at multiple reputable organizations including The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the Caron Foundation. Marty’s commitment to patient care has established him as a pillar within the national behavioral health treatment community. He frequently collaborates with industry leaders to discuss and advance treatment strategies. Throughout his career, Marty has successfully managed, developed, and implemented specialized services in behavioral health, mental health, and addiction treatment.
