Encino · San Fernando Valley · Los Angeles
Co-occurring OCD is obsessive-compulsive disorder alongside a substance use disorder, where drinking or using becomes a faster ritual than the compulsions themselves. New Spirit Recovery treats OCD as part of dual-diagnosis addiction care in Los Angeles, and delivers exposure and response prevention on site rather than referring it out.
New Spirit Recovery helped me when I was detoxing hard for about a week. The staff were kind to me the whole time. When I thought about leaving early, they helped me slow down and choose recovery instead. By discharge I was grateful I stayed, and Iâm doing better now.
New Spirit Recovery has changed my whole life. They gave me a second chance to rewire my life and live a new one. The staff is caring and genuine, and the director and operations director guided me through the program. They set me up for success and I canât thank them enough for saving my life.
New Spirit Recovery was beneficial to my recovery. Here I learned tools to help me manage my emotions safely, journaling and breathing have been amazing tools I picked up while here. All the staff were incredible and patient. I am grateful to have come here and actually use the tools suggested.
This program teaches you how to set realistic goals and become a better version of yourself, with all the tools to start building a new foundation. The therapist and case manager give each client an individualized, tailor-made treatment plan. Serene surroundings, a private chef, daily groups, and weekend outings.
The staff is amazing. I was completely unable to detox on my own and find the right path. The food and facilities were amazing, and I found my way again. My mom and I go to church together again now. Thank you all so much.
CA DHCS licensed treatment · most admissions within 24–48 hours
Not sure where you stand?
Signs of co-occurring OCD and addiction include intrusive thoughts that keep returning, rituals performed to make the discomfort stop, and drinking or using to quiet the thoughts when the rituals stop working. The obsessions usually return sharper once the substance wears off. Our dual diagnosis program treats the OCD and the substance use in one plan.
OCD and substance use disorders run the same loop. Both involve distress, a repeated behavior that relieves it, and relief that is real but temporary, which returns the person to where they started. Alcohol works faster than a ritual, which is why it so often becomes the compulsion that replaces the others.
This self-check reflects what our clinicians ask at intake: whether the thoughts are unwanted rather than chosen, how much of the day the rituals consume, and whether substances have become part of how you manage them. Answer the six questions, then talk the result through with our team.
This 6-question self-check is a private screening tool, not a diagnosis. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is saved or sent. A clinician confirms what it means. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
Ten minutes, a few questions, and a real answer about your coverage. Someone picks up at any hour, including this one. You will not be asked to describe the thoughts to call.
How the loop doubles
OCD and substance use reinforce each other because both run on the same cycle: distress, a repeated behavior that relieves it, and relief that fades. Alcohol quiets an obsession faster than a ritual does, so it becomes the compulsion of choice. When it wears off the obsession returns sharper, and both loops tighten together.
Obsessions are intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that generate real distress. They are ego-dystonic, meaning they run against what the person actually values, which is exactly why they are so distressing. Contamination, harm, symmetry, and taboo themes are among the most common, and none of them reflect intent.
A compulsion is anything done to reduce that distress: washing, checking, counting, ordering, seeking reassurance, or reviewing an event silently. The relief is genuine and it is brief. Because it works for a moment, the brain learns to repeat it, and the ritual grows to fill more of the day.
Alcohol reaches the same relief in minutes and asks nothing in return, so it starts to stand in for the ritual. The International OCD Foundation describes this as the same escape mechanism running through a different behavior. This is the point where a substance use disorder begins forming on top of the OCD.
Neither loop resolves the other. As the substance clears, the obsessions return at full strength and often worse, while tolerance means more is needed next time. Treating only the substance use leaves the OCD intact to restart the cycle, which is why both are treated here at the same time.
OCD carries real distress and shame, and both rise when substance use is involved. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org, any time. Support is available in Spanish and via ASL. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
Why people choose this one
ERP is the frontline psychotherapy for OCD, and the International OCD Foundation identifies lack of ERP training inside dual-diagnosis programs as a significant barrier to treating OCD and addiction together. We deliver ERP here rather than referring it out.
Relapse prevention teaches you to avoid the situations that lead to substance use. ERP asks you to approach the situations OCD has made frightening. Those are different instructions, and our evidence-based therapy programming is explicit about which triggers you step toward and which you step away from.
Relatives usually help with rituals to reduce distress, and that accommodation keeps OCD going. Family therapy and education run throughout the stay so the people around you know what helps and what quietly reinforces the cycle.
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The path through
Co-occurring OCD and addiction are treated with exposure and response prevention delivered alongside substance use treatment, supported by medically supervised withdrawal where it is needed and psychiatric medication management under physician oversight. A heavily cognitive form of CBT is less effective for OCD than exposure-based work, so ERP leads. Research on treating both at once reports lower OCD symptom severity, longer engagement in treatment, and higher abstinence rates than treating them in sequence.
| Level of care | Medical oversight | Typical length | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical DetoxStart here | 24-hour nursing, physician oversight | 7–10 days, extending to 21 where medically necessary | Withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines needs medical management |
| Residential Treatment | On-site clinical staff, physician oversight | Often part of a ~35-day course | Medically stable, with the anxiety disorder treated alongside the use |
| Step-down (PHP / IOP / OP) | Scheduled clinical contact | Varies by plan | Returning to daily life while anxiety treatment continues |
We deliver medical detox and residential treatment at our own facilities. Step-down care is arranged through a vetted network we coordinate on your behalf. As a addiction recovery center in Los Angeles, we keep the same clinical team with you from intake through discharge planning, so the obsessions only have to be described once.
Small enough to know your name
Co-Founder
Author and recovery specialist. Created the Rewired curriculum, ten modules that run here and nowhere else.
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Clinical Director
Licensed since 2018, dual mental-health and substance-use background. Oversees clinical programming across all properties. Twenty-four years in recovery himself.
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Director of Nursing
A Licensed Vocational Nurse since 2020 with extensive behavioral health and substance use experience across detox and residential settings
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Clinical Psychologist
Clinical supervisor and a professor at California Lutheran University. Works across sites on crisis management and treatment planning.
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Program Director
Directs day-to-day operations and client care. Seven-plus years in the industry, five in management.
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Operations Director
Handles the logistics that make admission possible, including travel and transport from LAX or Burbank.
Read full bioThe question everyone asks first
What you pay depends on your plan: your benefits, deductible, copay, and coinsurance. Most PPO plans cover dual-diagnosis treatment for OCD and a substance use disorder when it is medically necessary. Anyone quoting a price before reading your policy is guessing.
Coverage varies more than people expect, and is routinely better than assumed. We check your benefits for free and tell you exactly what we find, whether or not you come here.
We do not accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare. Cash pay is available; ask an admissions counselor what that looks like.
Veterans: we hold a VACCN/TriWest contract. Mention it when you call. Verify insurance.
Real people, real recovery stories
Reviews published by clients and families on Google, where our average is 4.8 out of 5.
These are unpaid reviews posted publicly on Google by individual clients and families. They describe those people’s own experiences, which vary; they are not a promise of any particular outcome, and no one was compensated for them.
Looking for OCD rehab near you?
Our OCD and addiction treatment program runs from Encino, with additional residences in Tarzana and Northridge. We admit from across the Valley, greater Los Angeles, and nationwide.
Common questions
Common triggers include stress, illness, poor sleep, major life changes, and direct contact with a feared theme such as contamination or a moral doubt. Alcohol and other substances add a trigger of their own by disrupting sleep and raising baseline anxiety.
Delay the compulsion rather than arguing with the thought, name it as an OCD symptom, and let the distress fall on its own. Reassurance seeking and drinking both work briefly and strengthen the cycle. Exposure and response prevention builds that tolerance deliberately.
A spike usually peaks within minutes to an hour and settles once the compulsion is not performed, though stress and poor sleep extend it. Performing the ritual shortens the spike now and lengthens the overall pattern, which is what ERP interrupts.
HOCD, clinically called sexual orientation OCD, is an OCD theme in which intrusive doubts about orientation cause distress. It is treated as OCD, not as a question about identity. Reassurance seeking worsens it, and exposure and response prevention is the effective treatment.
Yes, over time. Alcohol quiets obsessions briefly, then the symptoms return at full strength as it clears, so the relief teaches repetition. Heavy use also disrupts sleep and raises baseline anxiety, both of which intensify obsessions and make rituals harder to resist.
Drinking to manage obsessions is common enough that clinicians screen for it. Alcohol produces relief faster than a compulsion does, which makes it an appealing substitute. That substitution is how a substance use disorder often develops on top of existing OCD.
The 15 minute rule means delaying a compulsion for fifteen minutes before deciding whether to perform it. Distress usually falls on its own during the delay, which demonstrates the ritual was not required. It is a simple entry point into exposure and response prevention.
Harm OCD compulsions include checking that nobody was hurt, avoiding knives or driving, seeking reassurance repeatedly, and mentally reviewing events for proof of wrongdoing. People with harm OCD find these thoughts horrifying and do not act on them. Intrusive thoughts are not intent.
Most major PPO plans cover dual-diagnosis treatment for OCD and a substance use disorder when it is medically necessary. Cost depends on your benefits, deductible, and coinsurance. We verify your coverage free. We do not accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare.
