Originally Posted by
biminiblue 
Early days are hard, no two ways around it. I think that's why so many people go back to it.
Here were my top ten coping tools:
1. Exercise (walks in Nature, appreciating the natural world in detail)
2. Healthy home-prepared meals/lots of protein
3. Gratitude list
4. AA meetings and SR participation
5. Instrumental Classical music on Pandora
6. No caffeine
7. Breathing exercises (meditation-like breathing)
Box Breathing - Navy Seals
8. Staying away from alcohol-centered events and people who were negative
9. Sleeping as much as possible
10. Not watching the news or scary/depressing TV shows
All of these and/or whatever works for you. I was OK with caffeine (and nicotine, but I wouldn't suggest this!).
I don't think it's just PAWS either. Whatever your DOC (including alcohol), substances mask underlying feelings, issues and mental health issues. When intoxication is taken away, you're left with the issues that may have contributed to your using in the first place. This is a very painful place to be on its own.
Often you have PAWS on top of this. However, if you drank/used heavily, I think the symptoms aren't necessarily PAWS, but are rather part of the normal withdrawal process that goes on for about 100 days which comes and goes in waves. Not everyone has PAWS, but I think some of the symptoms attributed to PAWS are nearly universal for heavy drinkers/users who get sober.
If symptoms strongly persist longer than this, I'd call it PAWS, but it's more where do you draw the line. If there's underlying depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues, they may persist until they're dealt with separately, and definitely beyond 100 days.
Hope this helps anyone who is suffering in early recovery. It does get better, especially with continued work on sobriety.