You’ve already gone through the hell of detox. Clean and sober, you should be good as new, right? Wrong.
Unfortunately, many people continue to experience withdrawal symptoms off and on for months or even years after quitting alcohol, opiates, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and other substances.
There are very few scientific studies that have focused on PAWS, so it’s not recognized by many major medical organizations. But if you talk to recovery friends, you might find that it’s a common occurrence.
Frequent symptoms include depression, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, sleep issues, physical coordination problems, stress or anxiety.
These all might become worse in stressful situations, like when you start work again after cleaning up, or move to a new place to continue your recovery journey.
PAWS gets better over time, but being aware that it can happen can help you to understand and guard against having the experience act as a trigger for relapse.
It’s important to understand that these uncomfortable feelings are just another part of addiction recovery for some people – and like everything else, you can walk through it one day at a time.
For more on how to navigate early recovery, contact us today!