Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS): An Easy To Understand Explanation

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 4 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #505 in Health, #10,181 overall

What Is Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome or PAWS?

Well you have finally achieved abstinence from your drug of chioce, my sincere congratulations. You are certainly making the right choice. So everything will be easy from here on in....ummm...maybe not.

Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome is a group of withdrawal symptoms that arise as a drug addict or alcoholic attempts abstinence from their chosen mood altering chemicals. These withdrawal, or possibly relapse symptoms, can include sleeplessness, unclear thinking and stress, generally appear 7 to 14 days into abstinence during the stabilization phase.

This impairment is recognized as PAWS or Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome and can last 6 to 18 months after the addicts' last use.

Bonus Tip: And now I would like to invite you to access our free mini-course on the 5 most common mistakes people make in addiction recovery. To gain instant access, visit us at: http://TheRecoveryClub.com

Latest PAWS Articles 

Different views of Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

What Are The Symptoms of Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome? 

While in active addiction the addict/alcoholic experiences a disruption to normal brain activity which impairs clear thinking and emotion expression. Additionally, short-term memory loss, lack of coordination, sleep disturbances and stress are all part of PAWS and can make the recovery process sometimes long and difficult.

As a result of continued abuse of drugs and/or alcohol the brain needs to make an adjustment in order to 'right itself' as neurotransmitters return to normalcy and acclimate to a life without mood altering chemicals. This sometime takes time and that is where post acute withdrawal symptoms come in, they are like lingering withdrawal.

Info for Everyone In Addiction Recovery 

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

How Do post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms Affect Me? 

Essentially there is 3 major ways that Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome can impact a recovering person.

They are:

1. Cognitive - racing or recycling thoughts with impaired concentration and intention span.

2. Emotional - either an absence or an excess of emotions with a tendency towards hyper reaction.

3. Memory - - short-term (30 minutes) memory loss is often the most noted problem

These issues usually affect a person early in recovery so it is imperative that family, friends and colleagues recognize there presence.

Another factor that greatly affects the addict is stress. As a result, the recovering individual needs to understand that the lowering of stress is vital and that specific lifestyle changes need to occur. Healthy habits such as limiting caffeine, getting 8-10 hours of sleep, eating three balanced meals per day and exercising 3+ times weekly will reap great benefits.

For Website and Blog Owners 

Free Resource Guide

Are You Ready To Learn Web 2.0 Tools And Tactics That Generate Traffic Instantly?

Authority Site Black Book

Authority Black Book

Do NOT Buy Any Product That Says Web 2.0 Until
You Read The 100% FREE Authority Site Black Book



64-Pages Of Resources For Web 2.0 Niche Domination,
Buzz Generation, Higher Rankings, And Endless Traffic

Here's A Small Sample Of What You'll Learn In The Authority Black Book:

* Over 500 links to the most powerful and useful Web 2.0 traffic and buzz resources on the web! We're talking immediate traffic to your mini-sites, Adsense sites or affiliate sites.

* How to use RSS subscriptions to explode your reach! So many marketers and webmasters are doing RSS the wrong way... we'll show you the right way!

* How to create and syndicate video to the top video sharing sites for high-powered and valuable backlinks (Google likes video links!)

* Linkbait: What is it, How to write it, and how to generate massive buzz and hundreds of backlinks in your niche using it.

* A tool to instantly and with the click of a button bookmark any page on the web in all the social bookmarking sites - FREE!

* Where to get buttons for your browser to submit your pages to all the leading buzz sites like Netscape, StumbleUpon, Reddit and dozens more!

* Thorough explanations of more technical steps and strategies by Jack Humphrey, the author of Power Linking Profits and the Authority Black Book.

100% Guaranteed To Drive Targeted Traffic To Your
Site And Get You Better Search Engine Rankings!


Click Here: Authority Site Black Book



Authority Black Book

Addiction Treatment Challenges 

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

4 Stages of Recovery From Cocaine Addiction 

Withdrawal Phases, Acute And Post Acute Withdrawal

Dr. Richard Rawson and his colleagues, who developed the neuro behavioral model of recovery from cocaine addiction, identified four different stages of recovery that are commonly experienced by people during their recovery. These stages are rough guidelines for the recovery process.

Each of these four stages involves potential changes in your behavior, emotions, thinking, and interpersonal relationships. Following is a brief summary of symptoms or behaviors associated with each stage.

Stage 1: Withdrawal (0-15 days) You may sleep more, act impulsively, or feel depressed, anxious, shameful, fearful, confused, or self-doubt.Cravings to use cocaine are strong, and you may have trouble concentrating or coping with stress. You may become irritated easily with other people.

Stage 2: Honeymoon (16-45 days)You begin to feel better physically, your energy increases, and you feel more optimistic and confident about your life. You may even begin to feel your cocaine problem is "under control" or "over," and, as a result, you may want to drop out of treatment early or stop your recovery activities, such as attending NA, CA, or AA meetings or stop following the disciplines of recovery. This may contribute to your use of cocaine or other substances again.

Stage 3: The Wall (46-120 days)This is seen as the major hurdle in recovery. You become more vulnerable to relapse as you feel reduced physical or sexual energy, depressed, anxious, irritable, or bored; have trouble concentrating; and feel strong cravings or thoughts about using cocaine.

Stage 4: Adjustment (121-180 days)If you get through the previous stages, you may feel a great sense of accomplishment. Life begins to feel like it's getting back to normal as you adjust to changes in your lifestyle. Although your mood improves, you still continue to feel bored and may even feel more lonely than you did before. Cravings for cocaine occur less frequently and intensely, and you may begin to question whether you have an addiction. You may even put yourself in high-risk situations that increase your relapse risk.

Absolutely Free 103 page Addiction Recovery Help Guide 

There is a gallery of sober living and life skill information available in the Free, 103 page Resource Guide. Lot's of '10 tips to...' and 'How to' articles. These are all solution oriented. We have been in the problem long enough.
Click Here: Free Addiction Recovery Help Guide,

Addiction recovery 

Bonus Tip: And now I would like to invite you to access our free mini-course on the 5 most common mistakes people make in addiction recovery. To gain instant access, visit us at: http://TheRecoveryClub.com

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

Sober Surfing...These Addiction Recovery Sites Rock 


Comments, Suggestions? 

submit
  • Reply
    dopelesshopefiend dopelesshopefiend Sep 6, 2009 @ 3:29 am
    OMG!!!!! Why didn't anyone ant any of my treatments facilities, any councelors, any psychologist, anyone at na/aa ever tell me about PAW (post Acute Withdrawl) I though I was the only one having these crazy mood swings, emotional breakdowns, and anhedonia (normal pleasurable things do not impact me at all-no emotional change).
    I am doing all I can to stay sober and not relapse- and the knowledge of this syndrome gives me so much hope!!!!!! spread the word-tell other people in recovery! This too shall pass! AMEN! Thank You God- I've been sober for 55 days now, It's a miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Reply
    denman4 denman4 May 9, 2007 @ 9:57 am
    Great lens! I'm building a lens about Alcohol Withdrawal - Take a look at this lens and rate it for me! Thanks, denman4
  • Reply
    The_Lang_Report The_Lang_Report May 8, 2007 @ 10:54 pm
    Great lens with some extremely enlightening information. I beleive it will helo me deal better with some issues that have been causing me difficulty. Knowing about PAWS answers some questions I've had for some time now. Thanks!
Show All

Our Addiction Treatment Friends 

Drug treatment and Alcohol Treatment

Drug And Alcohol Treatment Program
Information on selecting and entering a Drug and alcohol treatment program drug and alcohol treatment programs
Drug And Alcohol Treatment Programs
Another site dealing with drug and alcohol treatment programs
Alcohol Treatment Program
A site to learn what an alcohol treament program can do to help with alcoholism, and alcohol abuse problems.
Addiction Treatment Challenges
We aim to untangle the many addiction treatment challenges facing one who is entering a treatment program and facing recovery.

by billurell

Hello. I'm Bill Urell,an addictions therapist at a leading residential treatment center. I teach healthy life styles and life skills. I have 15 y...

(more)

Explore related pages

Animal Tracks Unit Study
When you study nature it is often hard to get close to the animals you are study...
Diary Of A Recovering Addict
The deceitful web of addiction affects millions of people. This is just one stor...
Prescription Sleeping Pills- More Dangerous than you know
Who among us hasn't had a difficult time getting to sleep once in a while? If yo...
Smoking Withdrawl:
You probably already know that many smokers will experience some type of withdra...
Detox From Drugs - Detoxifying Your Body From Drugs
As harmful and dangerous drugs can be - legal prescription drugs, and illegal un...
Zero Nicotine Patch Review
How many smokers managed to quit smoking with the tapering method of nicotine pa...

Related Topics

billurell Recommends...

Create a Lens!