The idea that our bodies need to recalibrate to life without constant substance additives is so logical and eye opening. To think that over the course of up to a year my body may still be trying to balance itself out is such a powerful testimony to how poorly I’ve been treating my body.
I’m beginning to feel the effects as they seem to be showing themselves at the two week mark for me.
As of the last 2 days I’ve had a gnawing headache that fluctuates and something that feels like some kind of heart palpitation at random times. It also seems like my heart rate will jump up at random times for no reason.
Ya I’m th same ,I’m on the 3 weeks mark and I tend to get stressed over the stupidest of things and get anxiety it’s funny at times when I look back at what triggered me but it’s our bodies coping with the new emotions
Always at 10 to 14 days I feel pressure in my head and my left ear will ring so loud it makes me insane. I sometimes wonder if it’s even real or if it’s anxiety tricking me into thinking a drink will make it all stop.
All but two of these in the beginning- felt better after about 2-3 months… I struggle with concentration and memory still… ridiculously so, but I think this is largely due to working night shift/lack of sleep most days.
My biggest issues with PAWS is anxiety and emotions. The anxiety is frustrating but nothing crippling. I think of it as reminders to pause and focus on my breathing. That is always good. But I dislike the emotions. Sometimes I just want to cry at really bad times. Today I was just angry over everything. My husband took my kids out to the store and I found myself having a good old fashioned temper tantrum. I stomped the floor, slammed doors…I nearly through glasses. It was so ridiculous. I dont like not having control over my emotions.
But the thing with PAWS is that whatever you’re feeling it will always pass. Sure they come back too but with time they should take longer and longer to come back and eventually stop all together.
Totally understand. Day 9 here and my emotions have been insane. Happy one minute, can flip my shit the next. It sucks. But overall, the feelings pass and I go to bed sober and wake up sober and that makes me super happy!
Day 270 for me. I always thought all the withdraw symptoms would stop after a couple months. But, everyone is different therefore I dont want to scare anyone into thinking it doesn’t get better because it does.
The anxiety is still there. So is the sadness. There is a difference in my opinion of sadness and depression. My emotions lately have been at my worst since I’ve gotten sober. I’ve had management come up to me at work lately asking if I’m ok due to lots of anger issues. Then I get more pissed cause they’re just checking up to make sure I don’t walk out. I know I should be going to my higher power for this but at times it slips.
Again, please dont let my experience scare you. Where I’m at now is a hell of a lot better then my best back in my drinking days.
PAWS are a very real thing. The insomnia and anxiety were the worst parts for me. There were times where my anxiety would spike out of NOWHERE! Fine one minute, kind of feel like I might have a heart attack the next.
I still have trouble sleeping from time to time, even at almost a year sober. And the anxiety rears its ugly head every now and then. But it does get easier with time and hard work.
Thankfully our bodies and minds are very resilient and can recover from a lot of the damage. That’s something I am very thankful for.
I’m 20 days in and wake up with a blinding headache each morning, and experience restlessness and concentration problems during the day. My mood oscillates quite rapidly but having lived with an anxiety disorder for many years, I have learned how to self talk and self soothe which I find helpful.
I didn’t realize what PAWS was and how long it lasted for a while after I got clean - I thought I was broken and would never feel like I did before using and I accepted it as my new normal.
My biggest issues are/were anxiety, trouble concentrating, flash backs (PTSD - like panic attacks and flash backs. Like I’d see an ambulance driving with sirens on and freeze, my heart would race and I’d be transported back to my overdose), I get a lot of flash backs actually. I also have mood swings, like I’ll be happy and giggling then it’ll feel like a switch was flipped and I’m numb. I think because I did a lot of cocaine and was also born addicted to cocaine, my dopamine levels may be really messed up, to be honest. I also have a total loss of libido but that could be from methadone too , as I go to the methadone clinic daily.
Props to our bodies for working so hard to restore us to a healthy baseline after everything we put them through.
Props to you. You started with an addiction before you even had a chance to avoid it a here you are riding and fighting to go beyond what you were given with an attitude of strength not a victim.
Your energy shines through even in this short message.
166 days in and struggling with depression, but it was there before. Now I’m just not sure how much is PAWS related or just my normal baseline. Definitely being treated, and will hopefully get better in the coming months.
I just wanted to share my experience with PAWS today. Yesterday it was all anger…like a toddler’s temper tantrum. It was quite embarrassing. Today I just have uncontrollable sadness. I’m not crying or anything I just feel so down/low…I feel like I am just not worth anything. But the good thing is that I can recognize this as PAWS. I know it isn’t real. I know it will pass. I tell you, I feel like crap, but I know that no bottle of wine will make me feel any better.
Ah. Just yesterday I saw a Sebastien Mancuso show on Netflix. I was going to turn it on but my daughter wanted a movie instead. I love watching his bits on YouTube. The one about “company” had me nearly peeing my pants!!!
Anecdotal, but I throw down my brain fog bump. After a few months in was getting fuzz-brain that kept sneaking up on me. At first chalked it up to PAWS, and maybe that’s true in a way.
After a few weeks noticed it was hitting me hardest on Friday. My Fitbit pointed out I wasn’t sleeping much during the work week. In bed about 6 hours/night, only asleep for 5. All recovered over the weekend. Once I made a habit of getting to bed earlier every day it stopped.
I say it’s sort of PAWS because it was a roundabout consequence of getting sober after long-term drinking. During those work weeks I woke up earlier and felt better than I was used to, ready to go! Didn’t think for a second I wasn’t sleeping enough.
That is, I felt better compared to when I was drinking. Wasn’t fighting mild hangovers in the morning. In reality I was still a little sleep deprived, but not 100%. It had been so long since I’d had a regular sleep schedule I forgot what healthy sleep really felt like.
In early recovery I cried non stop for 10 days, followed by 4 days of outbursts, headaches, loss of appetite, increased appetite, sleep all over the place with no routine, only 1 using dream (crapped myself thinking I’d drank) depression, lack of motivation.
1month 6 days alcohol free three weeks no cigs just lowest dose nicotine patches. Running into almost daily emotional outbursts where i m just so easily irritated at things i normally wouldn’t be and feel internally like i can’t control it but they pass. I just can’t stand acting like that and don’t get it. Reading some of these posts are helping me understand withdrawal n rewiring takes time and can come in waves.
For me it was acute tiredness, headaches and a lack of motivation.
It lasts a few days then passes. Hits you when you least expect it, like at 9 months or just over a year and then it suddenly hits. It’s a sign you need to take a rest, so take it. The longer your sober journey the less you experience it, up to about 6 months it was every few weeks, then every couple of months and it didn’t last as long, maybe a day maximum.
It was good to know what it was. Now at 20 months I can’t remember when I last experienced it.
but it’s our bodies coping with the new emotions
In reality I was still a little sleep deprived, but not 100%. It had been so long since I’d had a regular sleep schedule I forgot what healthy sleep really felt like.