My head was foggy for the first few days. It will pass
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Around every 30 days I get moody, irritable, restless, discontent, fatigued, exhausted, and irrational. It can last up to a week. Itās definitely miserable, but now that Iām educated about it I talk to other women I know in recovery, my sponsor or my group counselor. I wish the best for you.
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@jakee01. No, not taking anything. I was in anxiety meds for a while but went off them. I went off the one that was working really well to see if it was the cause of some medical issues I was having. I went on a different one to replace it and that did nothing so I quit taking it. Iāve been debating whether I want to go back on anything just yet, or not. Iām kinda miserable with it (only intermittently though) but Iād hate to just cover up something I should be dealing with. Iām hoping my counseling may help me sort out which path to take.
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Iām 6 months in but I remember most The SWEATING. I could not stop sweating. Also racing thoughts. Trying to ācatchā a thought was like watching a freight train go past and trying to read the graffiti. Tired all the time but Sooooo restless. Had blackouts the first week. Rage for no reason.
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@Carla. I love your analogy of trying to read the graffiti as a speeding train passes. Thatās perfect.
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4.72 weeks as of right now.
Headaches stopped for the last few days.
Sleeping close to 8 hours for the first time in awhile. Sporadic rushes of pleasurable heightened physical sensitivity.
Energy level is really good.
And although my moods do seem to go up and down more than when I was tossing back martinisā¦ itās very managable to set myself back in the right state of mind.
I donāt want to speak to soon because I know that PAWS can continue to pop up over time but at this point Iām very happy with the results of being alcohol free. My body seems to be very happy about it
Now that itās had some time to adjust.
Some of you will know that I have an anxiety disorder but that seems to have subsided since I stopped drinking. However, those who do the daily check in will know that I am getting A LOT of headaches. Iām starting to worry about it. I know that headaches are part of PAWS. I have done the reading, but I have them more often than not. Iām at 39 days. Is this normal? Anyone else had such frequent headaches at this point. Itās been pretty constant for a couple of weeks.
Mine lasted from about day 25 to about day 32. They just went away. But they werenāt debilitating. Some one I speak to on another alcohol free community that is 2 days behind me also got them for about the same days I did. I drank vodka she drank beer. Hoping that adds to your calculations.
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I am now 2 months sober after 2 relapses. Iām so tired of starting my sobriety all over again after doing so well!! But as for PAWS, I had it bad with sweats, night and day, hearing voices and seeing shadowsā¦I know! Freaky and scary as hell! I asked the doctor if I was losing my mind but he said thatās just part of it! I made myself eat soup and crackers while my hand was shaking so bad I could barely get it to my mouth and drank Pedialyte and tons of water. Around 3 days, things start to subside a bit. I also took Emergen-C powders about 2x day. Iām hanging in there and dreading the holidays but God is with me. He got me through the last PAWS, and He got me through this one too. Now when that little devil whispers to me on my shoulder, I turn my head and listen to my little angel on my other shoulder! God is Great! Good luck you guys! It will get better! Stay Strong and know you are loved!
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I did and I would take 2 Goody Powders with a caffeinated drink. Also get some carbs in youā¦that seemed to help me too! Comfort food like mashed potatoes or Mac n cheeseā¦hope this helps and I hope you feel better!!
Starting day 7 here. Iām feeling stronger, food is still iffy, sometimes I can eat, othersā¦ not so much.
Iām still having nausea and sleeplessness.
Even with all of this I still feel better than I did while I was drinking.
Many on this thread Report symptoms which are actually not PAWS because PAWS refers to any symptoms that persist after acute withdrawal has resolved so after a few weeks of abstinence.
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Hey guys ! Day 101 ā¦ I am an opioate addict not alcohol .
Iām sure withdrawls have similarities but many differences as well .
I have had terrible PAW withdrawls Nd the people close to me think oh you are fine ā¦ like Iām cured, once the physical subsided ā¦ nope ā¦ still insomnia ā¦ itching ā¦ yawns 
ā¦ and fatigue, depression and racing spacey thoughts. Agitation too. I do hair and my clients of 10 to 15 years know me wellā¦ knew when I was high and for that they actually are the most supportive and them and my son are really what keeps me going as a lot of my family is distant and didnāt know about my use
Iām on day 9 and IāM SO THIRSTY!!! Not for booze, for water! Is that normal?
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@VSue - you mention in one of your older posts above about not feeling happy, just āokā or ācontentā.
I feel the same and have a theory as to why this is the case for me.
Over the years I have taught my body that happy = the elevated levels of dopamine produced by my body when taking cocaine or drinking.
What if the ācontentā or āokā that we are feeling is the āhappyā that non-addicts feel (because they have never experienced the enhanced version of āhappyā that I experience from alcohol\substance abuse).
I have wrestled with this because it will be a difficult one to get to grips with in the long-term but figure it will be fixed over time.
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Going into day 3, nauseous, exhausted but canāt sleep, antsy feeling. The nausea is the worst.
For me:
Dry heaving
Sweating followed by chills
Exhausted but insomnia
Vivid and/or disturbing dreams
Fuzzy ādisconnectedā feeling
Hunger, but no appetite
Canāt focus or remember
And of course, the shakes
Your milage may vary
When I first got sober, I remember feeling so angry all the time. And for me this was intense because I was always angry all the time. This was a whole new level. It hurt Relationships and schooling a lot. I still would do it all again to be sober. After the anger went away, there was a lot of guilt, some I still have. But Iām sober, stable, and I want to live now.
Recovering from a gaming addiction, so I had way different withdrawal. I became more energetic and relaxed. I did however ruin my fingers by biting them like crazy and scratching the skin off
Kind of relieved to see āAnhedonia: inability to feel joy/happinessā as a symptom of withdrawal.
On day 12 right now. Every time I quit in the past I felt great after 3 days, like a million bucks by day 10. This time I just donāt care. I donāt even want to be here. Not suicidal butā¦likeā¦ I can take it or leave it. Iām not interested or excited about anything. Dragging myself around, trying to force myself to do things that normally bring me happiness. Everyone annoys me. Wish I had no one in my life but my cat.
As a 45 year old woman, itās interesting to remark all of these symptoms for PAWS are the same as menopause, as well as chronic depression. Which one do I have? All three?
Whee.
At least Iām aware being brutally hungover wonāt make matters any better. Hoping this isnāt hormonal so it isnāt the next 15 years of my life.