How does your emetophobia affect your social life?

[ladysuffragette]

I always have a hard time going on school trips out of state etc. Once I went to San Francisco for a band competition, and I had to fly home because I felt n*. It has haunted me since. Also, If I get n* at sleepovers, I call my parents and cry. Has anything similar to this ever happened to you?

[BKaifos15]

This has happened to me so many times! When I was growing up and would go on trips with friends I would freak out and call my parents crying when I felt sick. I went to the beach with a friend and wound up feeling n* after going to an amusement park and I cried all night in the bathroom begging my parents to come and get me! I would cancel trips with friends sometimes because I was afraid of getting car sick. Eventually I discovered medicines that would prevent/help when feeling n* and even now, idk...15 years later I still carry a bottle of motion sickness meds around in all of my bags and I am constantly taking them! I take them every night before bed so I don't wake up sick, after meals when I go out to eat, and car rides that last over an hour and anytime I have to ride in the backseat...and I force friends/family to take them if they even mention not feeling well. I'll even force people I don't know to take them lol!!! So sad I know... This phobia really makes having a normal social life difficult...I hate traveling...I just don't do it...

[mrsjacks]

I never dine out or eat food other people prepared, so that makes get-togethers a real challenge. Church is a tough one for me, because I work with youth and they're always sick. I soldier through church, though, because well...it's church. That and my mom and I feed breakfast to the kids our bus ministry brings in so they count on my attendance. I've never flown on a plane to visit relatives. Not just because I would be afraid I'd v*, but I have no control over who is going to v* in my section. My husband wants to go on a cruise, but I just can't bring myself to spend thousands of dollars to have a week long vacation on a floating Noro fest. I rarely attend parties in the winter and spring months. Suffice it to say, my mom, my husband, and my soon to be sister-in-law are my only friends.

[yourjedi]

I affects it in that I don't like to go out because I don't watch to catch anything. Movie theaters - which people my age love to do - are, for whatever reason, really hard for me to sit through. Sometimes, even family gatherings freak me out. I did the same thing at a sleepover when I was... eleven? It really does suck. It does seem to get better, though, when you're able to manage your anxiety. Since I've started meds, I've been a lot better out of my "comfort zones." Still struggling but it's at least helping.

[butterfly91]

It does affect it sometimes, if I'm out and I start feeling n* I have to immediately go home

[Goingmonkeys]

...what's a social life? :P

[Collie]

My (mild) anxiety affects my social life more than my emetophobia, although I guess they are related at times. I still go out to bars and concerts, although not nearly as often as I used to. Sometimes I have to force myself to go out because I usually would just rather stay at home with my boyfriend. Maybe that's just me getting old though lol. But I always enjoy myself when I do end up going out. I just have to talk myself into it now and have a drink or two and my anxiety subsides. The only time I freak out is when one of my friends has too much to drink and I worry they're gonna get sick. When I can tell they're at that point I totally panic and avoid like the plague. Basically I'm not gonna be the person who takes care of the drunk friend, but I also don't expect people to take care of me on the rare occasion that I drink too much.

I won't go to a movie unless I know its free of v* scenes though haha

[MrsEmetophob]

I dont have a social life......literally

[ladysuffragette]

Who knows? Haha

[ladysuffragette]

it's okay man. me neither

[mdgirl1977]

I have no social life except things with my kid like sports. I have not eaten out in about 6 years, not that I really did much before but I had a hard stop 6 years ago. I dont travel and if I do, it is driving so I can bring a bag of food with me. I moved from DC to California 12 years ago and actually drove both ways and literally stopped at grocery stores along the way and never ate out once. I hate concerts and big venues like sports where there are 10,000 people using portapotties. I take my son to things and muddle through but it is very very tough and I have lots of panic attacks (in my head). If it weren't for my kid, I would never leave my house. I fight through just for him on most things except food. He knows we don't eat out. His dad takes him all the time but me, no.

[jkl81]

I'm a bit introverted by nature anyway, but my phobia really affected me badly in my formative teen and early 20s years, so I really lost a lot of opportunities to build a social circle. I'm a lot better now but at my age, it isn't nearly as easy to meet people. It is what it is and I have a good life by any standard that does include my family plus some other folks that I really care about.

[stopthissong]

I have to eat places I know of and generally they are more expensive because I consider them to be more reputable... which is hard on my wallet. Drinking is hard for me too. I love having a few drinks but the minute I feel tipsy I freak out a bit.

[reevagee]

i never eat out, I've never slept at friends houses even as a child n still have trouble doing so now. i refuse to go to movies because i had to leave in the middle of one once due to bad d*. i was going through red lights to make it home and crying. i dont like being out in general. its a challenge for me to go to my classes esp during a bad stage or when anyone around is sick. everyday is a struggle. as a kid, we were forced to stay at my dads on the weekend and i would cry and chase my moms car down the block cuz he was so mean to me if i didn't feel good, which would always happen when i slept there or anywhere.this phobia has literally destroyed my life for years. last month i went out to a club which is very rare and someone v* on me. yea.. thats why i have no social life, and barely a life at all. does anyone else feel like even it follows them? like everywhere i go its right there! smh..

[mhartse]

right, what is a social life? I feel my emetophobia is ruining my life, my marriage and everything else. Its so hard to face everyday.

[cloudberry]

It affects my social life in every way. I don't travel anymore unless I absolutely have to, and when I do I need to take at least some pastilles, heartburn medicine and plastic bags with me. Also I don't go to restaurants without similar preparations, or movie theatres, university, library... the list goes on and on. Plus, it drives my boyfriend crazy when I keep asking him whether I'll be ok and what he thinks my symptoms mean, I have a really hard time calming myself down during panic attacks. It's hard to imagine this ever going away and getting my life back.

[kaiilyn_23]

I've thankfully come a long way, but in my worst days, I had no social life. I stayed home most of the time; I barely ate a thing. It took me a long time to recover from constant fear, and begin to be myself again. I was always very fearful of vomiting and catching virus', but over the summer going into 7th grade, something happened and I was in fear 24/7, and obsessing over it. It was an awful time; I was supposed to be living my childhood, my last year of elementary school. There was a very bad period of 7 months or so where I barely left the house, and even feigned illness to miss school. Now my emet is very situational; it only arises when somebody is ill. It's not perfect, but I'd take this over my old self!

[rebecca1976]

I only eat out in my safe places and only trust mine or my mums cooking. My social life is affected by emet quite a lot, I won't go to social events around christmas as that always seems to be noro season in my area. I have a very hard time holding down relationships, I'm about to finish an 8 week relationship because although he is handsome and a lovely person his hygiene is disgusting, I've told him about my phobia and OCD, he seemed to find it very funny which hurt a bit, I know most people in the world are like him and not me, I know I'm the odd one out but it doesn't change the fact that his lack of hygiene disgusts me so he's got to go

[itsJoe]

It does effect me slightly, not as much as it used too but it always plays on my mind when out with friends or family. Luckily I was fortunate enough to get through high school without having Emetophobia, it was only after I graduated that it all kicked in. I try to think how I would have coped having that during that time given the circumstances and it really sounds difficult, I commend you all who are going through it and managing to keep up with school.