Need some kind words - debilitating hangxiety after uneventful night.
First of all -- I have OCD. Learned the hard way that alcohol is not for my brain, but nonetheless dabble in it every now and again, maybe 4-5x a year. If I'm being honest with myself, I probably should cut it out entirely, and think I will do so now. Went out with some close, trustworthy colleagues a couple days ago on one such rare occasion. Everyone was drinking, chatting around the fireplace, having a great time. I struggle with social anxiety and have really bonded with my colleagues over the last several months at work, and was having such a great time. Most people left abruptly when we were informed the bar had an early closing time, and I was left with one colleague while my partner was about 10-15 mins away to pick me up. I think I was feeling a little self-conscious about the optics of being left alone with a male colleague, and repeatedly told him he was free to head home, but he very kindly and politely told me he'd wait until I was picked up. (In hindsight, really grateful for this.) But in that moment, I had the genius idea of doing a final shot to end our night. Did one, continued to chat for about 5-10 minutes, and then my partner called that he was outside and I went home. Tail end of my night (walking outside, hopping into my partner's car, and being at home) is very blurry!
Now of course -- intrusive thoughts are roaming through my head. What if I can't actually rely on my memories of the few last moments of my night, and I behaved totally inappropriately with my colleague? I know this is not ACTUALLY the case, but I ruminate on it nonetheless. More than anything -- how could I have been so irresponsible with that final drink? How could I have let myself drink to the point of having lapses in memory? I feel so incredibly disappointed in myself, and so full of shame and guilt. I just don't know how to move on. Any kind words would be so appreciated -- really struggling right now with shame/guilt/anxiety/self-loathing/hopelessness.
Posted Aug 8, 2025, 9:14 PM UTC