Fear of being drugged

[Native]

So I’ve never really talked to anyone about this. I used to have pretty severe OCD when I was younger where I would wash my hands every 5 minutes, got so bad my hands would crack and bleed because they would be so dry. I got over that after about a year with the help of my parents. I knew it was stupid but I couldn’t help it, it was like I was addicted. Fast forward a few years, I’m 21 now, pretty healthy, I exercise, eat healthy and have a decent social life. My fear now is being drugged. I saw a TV segment a few years back where they reported that kids candy from trick or treating was laced with Acid. Ever since I saw that, it remains in the back of my head. When I’m at work I have to keep sight on my water bottle in case somebody laces it. If I lose it for a second I instantly throw it out and buy a new one. I don’t trust food that I don’t make myself. Sometimes I’m afraid somebody puts something in my cereal even at home. I know it sounds incredibly stupid but I worry that somebody breaks into my house just to drug me lol. It’s funny because once I type it out I realize that I’m 100% over reacting and I’m sure there’s a .00001% chance this has ever happened. It gets so bad though sometimes that I’ll eat something and almost convince myself that I just got drugged. I could get a normal tingle in my head and automatically think that I just got laced. It’s like I convince myself so much that I start to make up these physical symptoms until they are reality. It’s because of these where I start to think I’m going crazy. Has anyone else experienced something similar? And is the mind really that powerful where it can create physical symptoms? Am I going crazy?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yes, there are other threads on here about this. The most recent one I saw was by Gingerfish.

You know it's irrational but it's much harder to cope with when you feel the intensity of it when the subconscious is triggered. But it's really know different than the fear of the bear the fight or flight was built for, it's just like so many things in anxiety it has chosen something that we don't need to fear to create a theme out of.

As you engage in the cycle it reinforces itself and continues to remain important to the you (or so the subconscious thinks). So, now you need to back out that incorrect learning by allowing it to see you not reacting to it with negatives.

(when I say we don't need to fear something like this, I mean that you have built a skewed, disproportionate fear)

One of my intrusive thought themes was acid attacks. This would be triggered by approaching blind corners. If I engaged in avoiding those corners or other inappropriate defensive mechanisms such as guarding my face (or just reacting with fear or negative emotions which these cycles feed on) then I indicate the fear to be justified. So, look at your negative behaviours such as replacing the bottles, only eating food you prepared, etc.

[Tyke]

I do understand your fears, but try and think this out logically. Most drugging is likely to be carried out by someone you don't know that well on a date or something. You are not likely to be a target. The only other likely scenario is if you are a national of an undemocratic country and you have crossed their leaders in some way. I'm really pleased I don't live in Salisbury, really sickening and being in that town would terrify me. I still can't believe the evil and irresponsibility in that attack. But you are not a double agent or on a date. There are many evil people in the world, often they become leaders, but unless you've got a hidden past in the security services or something similar, or you are dating people you don't know that well, your risk is EXTREMELY LOW!