The severity of the post acute withdrawal symptoms usually depends on two factors. The first is the amount and degree of brain dysfunction or disruption that has been caused by the length of use, and type of chemicals used, and any injuries that occurred associated with the use. The second thing that can affect post acute withdrawal symptoms are the stress factors experienced early in the recovery process and the severity of the psychological and social stressors that may occur. I know this is very long but please take the time to read it all, you will probably be able to relate to a lot of the situations and symptoms, I use this with my own patients and I have listed below this coping mechanisms for PAWS coming from just about every angle from mental to phyhsical to diet and excercise. I have been thinking of posting it in the forum. xoxo- D.

Understanding PAWS
Post-acute withdrawal is a group of symptoms of addictive disease that occur as a result of abstinence from addictive chemicals. In the alcoholic/addict these symptoms appear seven to fourteen days into abstinence, after stabilization from the acute withdrawal.
Post-acute withdrawal is a bio-psycho-social syndrome. It results from the combination of damage to the nervous system caused by alcohol or drugs and the psychosocial stress of coping with life without drugs or alcohol.
Recovery causes a great deal of stress. Many chemically dependent people never learn to manage stress without alcohol and drug use. The stress aggravates the brain dysfunction and makes the symptoms worse. The severity of PAW depends upon two things: the severity of the brain dysfunction caused by the addiction and the amount of psychosocial stress experienced in recovery.
The symptoms of PAW typically grow to peak intensity over three to six months after abstinence begins. The damage is usually reversible, meaning the major symptoms go away in time if proper treatment is received. So there is no need to fear. With proper treatment and effective sober living, it is possible to learn to live normally in spite of the impairments. But the adjustment does not occur rapidly. Recovery from the nervous system damage usually required from six to 24 months with the assistance of a healthy recovery program. Recent research is showing that for some recovering people the symptoms of PAW often occur at regular "moon cycle" intervals and without apparent outside stressors. Often those 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 1 & 2-year sobriety dates seem to be "triggering" times for PAW symptoms to increase. People recovering from long term opiate and stimulant use often have PAW symptoms for no apparent reason for up to 10 years after they have stopped using their drug of choice. Often PAW symptoms appear to come and go without apparent reason and without any specific pattern. Individuals who intend to have consistent long-term recovery must learn to recognize these symptoms and learn how to manage them.
SYMPTOMS OF POST ACUTE WITHDRAWAL
How do you know if you have PAW? The most identifiable characteristic is the inability to solve usually simple problems. There are six major types of PAW symptoms that contribute to this They are the inability to think clearly, memory problems, emotional overreactions and numbness, sleep disturbances, physical coordination problems, and general problems in managing stress. The inability to solve usually simple problems because of any or all of these symptoms leads to diminished self-esteem. A person often feels incompetent, embarrassed, and

I am about to read through this, so you might have answered most of my questions below.  If so then just skip them.  I just posted no less then ten minutes ago and came back to ask you to read it.

Thanks for the information.  Justine

I was looking through old posts to see if you are a Dr.  I knew you had to be in the medicle field.  How wonderful that you are here.  I know my hubby will be as thrilled as I am.

God Bless You, Justine

Hi! I really hope this is helpful to you and your husband. Let me know if there are any questions you have or if you just need to vent!

xoxo- D.

Hi Dutchess, I wanted to make you a post just for you, but, I did not want to move the board around to much,, I just wanted to take a minute to say thank-you,, How lucky we are to have you,, You bring knowledge here that we have been yearning for.  I dont know what we did to get you, but, please dont leave, we need you now,,, Thank-you for sharing your time and experience with us.. You are a wonderful lady.  I hope you have a peaceful night,,, Thank-you, Huggs, Georgia

Thank you so much for your post. I can assure you that I am not going anywhere anytime soon. I really like it here. I see all of these people whos doctors have told them absolutely NONE of the information that they need to know and then hang them out to dry. It's not only unethical, it's inhumane and I'm tired of it. It really is a blessing to be here, even if it is only for one post between seeing patients. You guys make me feel so welcomed and appreciated. Thank you. Don't hesitate if you need anything, I promise I will get to it as soon as I possibly can (usually in the middle of the night when hubby and baby are sleeping) but I will.

xoxo- D

All your work and help and you have a baby too.  You are remarkable,  I read your post the other day and you had said that you watch to much Dora, I bet ya we both know all the songs by heart, lol... I love the help you give so freely,  just wanted to check in and see how things are going in your life??!!  If you need to vent then you can let it out on us too,,, Huggs, Georgia

I won't hesitate to vent to u guys if needed. I usually vent to hubby then we go have some "adult time" And yea our three yr. old and I sing all the songs through every episode every day lol, and spongebob (she's in love), jimmy neutron, and timmy turner (fairly odd parents) she's kinds over blues clues now which is sad b/c It wasn't that long ago she souldnt wait to go see blues clues on ice.

Anyhow I've been busy, busy, busy, so I've been tryin really hard to get words in here and there when I have a free moment from my office. Thank you again for your post.

xoxo- D.