Need Help

[JohnHorner]

My name is John and I have been suffering from Emetophobia since i was about 5. I am now 18 and will be heading off the college next year to play D1 lacrosse. I have been to all kinds of counselors and have been on Zoloft for several years. Nothing seems to work. I need to get over this before college next year, or else I don't know if I'll make it through. Please let me know of any suggestions.

Thank You,

John

[olschesky]

welcome to the forum, john.........i'm not a college student...but there are lots of members here who are in school and can give you some great advice........

you can do it.........lacrosse sounds exciting

[JohnHorner]

Thank you I hope so. I recently downloaded the Emetophobia Recovery System so we will see how that works.

[Kristamayla]

I am a college student .. well, I have been for while. I am taking my time in school since I work full time. hehe. I am 25 now but when I was around 21 years old I finally decided to move out of my parents and into an apartment with my boyfriend at the time. I thought I would go crazy and freak out but honestly I didn't. I think experiencing things like that help you. You get put in situations where you have to adapt to them. When moving out, I had to find a new comfort zone.. and it was easy. I moved back in with my mom a few years back because I lost my father and it was a hard time.. well I am about to move out again and I am nervous. I am always scared that when I move out that I will be alone and not able to function all by myself but I have been through it before and know it's not true. When you go off to college.. you will get use to it and you will begin to feel comfortable with your surroundings and yourself. It's a great experience that you can't pass up! Just try not to be so hard on yourself =)

[SteveR]

Welcome to the forum

[JohnHorner]

Thank you Kristamayla that is very comforting, and means a lot.

[abbu]

Good luck with the program and welcome to the site!

[runneratheart]

Welcome! I am new as of today as well! I have just graduated college and I loved it. I lived in the dorms for the first two years, that was hard for me at times being an emet. however, I kept lysol wipes handy and I would literally wipe down the bathrooms-handles, sinks etc. if I was nervous. I also would sanitize my room at times. What I did not like was being so close to so many people but I found it helpful to get outside, and away from people for a bit, this often meant taking a walk, or doing anything outside, sometimes I would run errands out of town for a bit just to get away from the dorms when people were really sick. Keep your head up though because I never got it! I washed my hands ALOT however. I also lived off campus with four boys and we were a pretty big party house, which meant other people would V from drinking...so be careful of that! OVerall college was a blast. I loved it. I did get really panicky at times and people had a hard time understanding why but it didnt matter. My best friend always opened doors for me and did anything that involved touching anything, she was really good about it, she didnt understand it but she just knew that was how I was. Good luck!! I also played college sports, another awesome part of college, if not the BEST part!

[JohnHorner]

thank you so much I hope I can make it through alright

[fixxxer2012]

john im sure you will do great in college. have fun, enjoy your time.

[emmalinda]

there are a few ways to try and overcome it. i would suggest seeing ya doc and see what they would think is best. i was surprisingly embarressed about my emet but doctors are very wasy to talk to and they will know who to put you onto. i got sent to a phsycologist and it is very good talking to a pro about it. once you go off and get used to living in different conditions, you would adapt and hopefully really enjoy it! good luck. i love sports

[mdgirl1977]

Welcome John. i am new too. I made it through undergrad and grad school with emet. I even worked at bars in DC as a bartender, shockingly. I think the key for me was to find a way to live by myself (or only with one other person) and I personally didnt drnk. I washed my hands a fair amount and didn't eat sketchy things in the cafeteria. I mainly went to bars and clubs, but avoided the bathroom at the end of the night (someone was always v* at some point) and basically used my brains to avoid situations where v* was present. I didn't do many frat parties.

As an athlete, it may be a bit harder. Depending on what school you go to (state, private), you may find being in a frat beneficial. I am going to be honest and tell you that in that case, avoiding v* is going ot be hard because of those parties. But you can find a way. I wouldn't broadcast your emet status until you get settled and find a good group of friends you know and trust. I didn't tell anyone in college, in fact. I just kept it to myself and no one really knew why I was always sober and straight edge.

Good luck. I have been on here for 2 days and already have realized that (a) I am not crazy, (b) there are many people like us and (c) it is possible to find a way to function and have a semi-normal life with emet.

And congrats on school! College is awesome. Dont let emet or anything else keep you from enjoying those years. They are truly the best and I hope you enjoy every single day.

[JohnHorner]

Thanks guys I appreciate it. I have been to several counselors that didnt help but now I am using the emet recovery system and I Like it so far so I will let you all know how that goes.

[lauren.nicole]

I definitely understand your concerns. I did not live on campus or had a roommate when attending college because I was terrified of drunken college kids and germs everywhere. I wish I could offer some better advice...but I really can't. I ran away from the problem entirely.

[JohnHorner]

Unfortunatly I do not have that choice I have to have a room mate, I dont care if they are drunk then vomit its just the germs scare me.

[lizmazzolini]

John,
I have been browsing this site for the past 4 hours (I know, I just found it today!) and your question resonated closer with me than you will ever know! (I also wanted to let you know my husband played on A&M Lacrosse team!) What school are you going to play at?

I am 26 and had struggled with this phobia since 5th grade. My phobia in college challenged me but did not ruin me. My biggest advice is letting those know what you struggle with who are close to you. My roommates would call me and tell me not to come home if they were sick or hungover. Not everyone understood, but I just needed their support and that is what I got! I ended up being very successful in undergrad and continued on to pharmacy school. (That might be because I was too terrified of getting sick to drink, so I studied all the time!)

I would love to help you in any way possible!

Liz

[JohnHorner]

hey liz thanks for the message,
I am going to be playing at Towson university in Baltimore. Are you still emetophobic or have you overcome it?

[lizmazzolini]

John,
I am still emetophobic, but not to the severity I was as a child. I have learned how to avoid 'my triggers' (which I know is a big no no) and being on medication has helped greatly! I have had a hard past year of all my friends getting pregnant and thinking why can I not be normal, and have an easy life! I have made a commitment to myself and my husband that I am going to do everything I can on my part to not let this control my life. My husband and I are going on our first vacation ever since our wedding in a couple weeks because I have been so scared of getting sick on the plane. Granted, I will be doped up on lots of meds, however knowing that I have made this decision is very empowering! I would recommend the book Happiness Trap, my counselors' favorite book. I guess what I am trying to say is you can learn life lessons from even the stinkiest of circumstance of a phobia.

You middie, attack, defense?

[JohnHorner]

I am a defender, and ill look into that book. I purchased the emetophobia recovery system online and it seems to be helping, after i finish a lesson in it I feel great so I would really recommend it. I know how you feel about being normal it is the worst, I dont even know why I am so scared of getting the stomach bug.

[wargerbil]

All I can say is I've never once regretted doing something that worried me because of my phobia, and I've always regretted NOT doing things because of it!

[JustLacey]

Welcome and good luuuuckkk! xxx

[JohnHorner]

Thank you i really appreciate it