For those tortured by PAWS (Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms) and who fear they might go mad
Member
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 82
From my experience from alcohol/drugs ...
- 3 days heavy detox
- 7 days smoothering out
- 30 days out of the worst
- 2 - 18 months - PAWS
Post Acute WDs are like waves. They come and go. They show themself in different shapes and forms. Slowly, with patience and time, a person finds a ballance.
- 3 days heavy detox
- 7 days smoothering out
- 30 days out of the worst
- 2 - 18 months - PAWS
Post Acute WDs are like waves. They come and go. They show themself in different shapes and forms. Slowly, with patience and time, a person finds a ballance.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Kyoto
Posts: 81
Update and possible medicinal hope
Hello Everyone,
I wish I could update the OP because I want to offer some hope to those who may be suffering.
As some may know, I drank moderately after my horrible two years+ of PAWS, and wound up worse than before.
I'm 11 months and one week sober, and reducing my diazepam (3.11mg, a very small dose). I've done hours and hours of digging during my torture, and have found something that is working very well for me, so I wanted to pass it along.
It's called "acamprosate" or "Campral" if you live in the Western world. It is a drug that is non-habit forming and does not require a taper. It is intended to rebalance the neurotransmitters GABA and Glutamate, as well as NMDA receptors. It has a very good safety profile with very benign side effects, usually only slightly higher than the placebo group.
Best of all, it has reduced my anxiety a great deal, as well as minimized so many of the visual/emotional symptoms that have plagued me.
For example, in my three years sober, I'd write and record maybe three songs a month. Since quitting 11 months ago, I recorded one song. Since starting Campral mine days ago, I have written and recorded one and a half. My creativity is creeping back, my social skills are returning, and my senses are calming down.
Being a cautious person who hates meds, I began at half the regular dose. I'm nine days in (blood plasma levels peak and are maintained within 5-8 days), and without exception all of my symptoms are improving. In three days, I will double my dose to the standard level for my weight. I am cautiously expecting further improvement with an increase in dose. Interestingly, higher doses seem to cause fewer side effects than lower doses.
I wish that I had discovered this earlier. I think my healing would have been leaps and bounds better than without.
This medicine is NOT on many doctor's radars, so I had to do my own research and suggest it to my doctor. Being that I'm not a doctor, I can't tell anyone to try it. However, in my experience, nothing has had such a profound impact as this. Not CBT, not meditation, not deep breathing, not CBD. Higher doses of valium killed my PAWS but that's only prolonging and worsening the inevitable.
If you're suffering like I am, I would highly suggest doing some research, starting here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64035/
If you have any questions or anything, I'll be diligent in replying.
TO REITERATE: I'm not a doctor, and I'm not telling anybody to take this medicine. I'm merely outlining my own experience with it.
Hope you're all well,
Matt
I wish I could update the OP because I want to offer some hope to those who may be suffering.
As some may know, I drank moderately after my horrible two years+ of PAWS, and wound up worse than before.
I'm 11 months and one week sober, and reducing my diazepam (3.11mg, a very small dose). I've done hours and hours of digging during my torture, and have found something that is working very well for me, so I wanted to pass it along.
It's called "acamprosate" or "Campral" if you live in the Western world. It is a drug that is non-habit forming and does not require a taper. It is intended to rebalance the neurotransmitters GABA and Glutamate, as well as NMDA receptors. It has a very good safety profile with very benign side effects, usually only slightly higher than the placebo group.
Best of all, it has reduced my anxiety a great deal, as well as minimized so many of the visual/emotional symptoms that have plagued me.
For example, in my three years sober, I'd write and record maybe three songs a month. Since quitting 11 months ago, I recorded one song. Since starting Campral mine days ago, I have written and recorded one and a half. My creativity is creeping back, my social skills are returning, and my senses are calming down.
Being a cautious person who hates meds, I began at half the regular dose. I'm nine days in (blood plasma levels peak and are maintained within 5-8 days), and without exception all of my symptoms are improving. In three days, I will double my dose to the standard level for my weight. I am cautiously expecting further improvement with an increase in dose. Interestingly, higher doses seem to cause fewer side effects than lower doses.
I wish that I had discovered this earlier. I think my healing would have been leaps and bounds better than without.
This medicine is NOT on many doctor's radars, so I had to do my own research and suggest it to my doctor. Being that I'm not a doctor, I can't tell anyone to try it. However, in my experience, nothing has had such a profound impact as this. Not CBT, not meditation, not deep breathing, not CBD. Higher doses of valium killed my PAWS but that's only prolonging and worsening the inevitable.
If you're suffering like I am, I would highly suggest doing some research, starting here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64035/
If you have any questions or anything, I'll be diligent in replying.
TO REITERATE: I'm not a doctor, and I'm not telling anybody to take this medicine. I'm merely outlining my own experience with it.
Hope you're all well,
Matt
luring sobriety this way with my lucky charm
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: California
Posts: 738
Originally Posted by Callas 
Have your symptoms been confirmed by a medical professional as PAWS, or is that your own conclusion?
The irony of people complaining that no one is validating their PAWS experiences, is the gross disservice you're doing to the stigmatization of mental illness. I can say with complete and perfect confidence that I had many of these symptoms when I was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in my early 20s. Ok. What you're describing sounds like symptoms of anxiety, panic, clinical depression, or bipolar disorder.
The only thing that doesn't sound related to underlying mental illness are the food aversions and nausea, which does make perfect sense if you have some digestive disturbance from heavy drinking.
Honestly, as someone who has been in therapy even when I wasn't drinking and who comes from a family where mental illness is a reality, that it's pretty irritating to see people flatter themselves that they're "not going crazy" like those "insane people" even as they're having severe depersonalization or are imagining people are poisoning them.
Denial is not just a river in Egypt, and alcoholism isn't the only condition a person can deny.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Kyoto
Posts: 81
BeckoningCat,
"I spent an hour reading this thread"
You should've spent more time and read more carefully. I addressed this already. Or do you just want to subvert the thread?
"Alcohol is a form of self-medicating often used by people with conditions like bipolar disorder, and is EXTREMELY common in borderline personality disorder. "
You're suggesting that a legion of people all over the internet and in the medical community are committing an ad hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy? What about for the people whose symptoms dissipate the longer they're sober and eventually disappear altogether? What about the peer-reviewed medical literature on the subject? What about your fellow alcoholics testifying before you?
The issue facing a correct diagnosis is that there are confounding variables, and you seem to be either ridiculously uninformed about how to delineate them, or ideologically possessed about them. To be honest, you're proving the Dunning-Kruger effect by coming here with a confidence that is inversely correlated with the information required to inflate it.
So let's imagine somebody presents with a host of symptoms after quitting alcohol: you'd do a check for some mental illnesses. Of course, you'd have to wonder which came first, the mental illness or the alcohol. Self-medicating is indeed a thing, and I would be embarrassed to dismiss it as a legitimate phenomenon. Some people are less embarrassed about making sweeping generalizations, however.
Next, you'd eliminate the variables one at a time. So let's start with alcohol. As time passes, the issues associated with a severe imbalance of the body's nervous system start to subside and eventually vanish. What do you conclude? That the alcohol was the variable? Or, should we go with your angle and conclude we're all mentally ill *despite the constant refrain from the people whom you presume to care about that we ARE GETTING BETTER THE LONGER WE'RE SOBER*.
"I had many of these symptoms when I was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in my early 20s."
Infuriating! What would you expect from the withdrawal of a longerm GABA agonist like alcohol? Perhaps you'd expect the effect called "downregulation and uncoupling of GABA receptors". The body does this to maintain homeostasis. IT MIMICS ANXIETY DISORDER. This is the absolute crux of the issue: chemicals like alcohol and benzodiazepines downregulate GABA, the inhibitory neurotransmitter, and upregulate glutamate, the excitatory neurotransmitter, which can mimic mental illnesses (have you even done a basic wikipedia search on this? There are links to peer-reviewed journals there, and you could've saved everybody reading some time)
The largest and most depressing irony in all of this is your crocodile tears for the mentally ill being somehow (unexplainedly) stigmatized. All the while, people who are experiencing something that is largely agreed upon in the recovery community as a very real phenomenon are completely undermined by people like yourself. Now, I have never said "It's always PAWS and not mental illness". I've suggested people get an evaluation, and I've had them myself. But what you're saying is tantamount to "You're all actually mentally ill". While we "stigmatize the mentally ill" you come here with a sweeping diagnosis because "it runs in your family". I'm sorry, but those aren't credentials, nor does it pass as a well informed opinion.
At the risk of further laying myself bare to your scrutiny, I'll ask you to answer these two questions:
1) What do you make of somebody like myself who had all sorts of mental symptoms that gradually subsided with prolonged abstinence? And who has experienced improvement with a drug called Acamprosate that ONLY WORKS ON PEOPLE WITH A HISTORY OF ALCOHOLISM?
2) In your estimation, what would be a surefire way of removing the confounding variable of alcohol in order to enable a diagnosis of mental illness or PAWS? You must have a hypothesis on this.
And I would ask you a third question that you don't need to answer to anybody but yourself: what do you have to gain by coming into a thread where hundreds of people have found solace, and accusing them all of having mental illnesses? What is the net moral benefit to the community? As I've said before, I don't see the angle, and I'm not hesitant to say that your intent appears malicious at worst, and self-serving at best. Perhaps you'd be better suited to starting your own thread about how PAWS isn't real and we're all mentally ill and see how it goes for you.
Usually I go out of my way to be logical and levelheaded, but I'm exasperated by you naysayers. It ain't always PAWS, but it ain't never PAWS neither.
Matt
"I spent an hour reading this thread"
You should've spent more time and read more carefully. I addressed this already. Or do you just want to subvert the thread?
"Alcohol is a form of self-medicating often used by people with conditions like bipolar disorder, and is EXTREMELY common in borderline personality disorder. "
You're suggesting that a legion of people all over the internet and in the medical community are committing an ad hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy? What about for the people whose symptoms dissipate the longer they're sober and eventually disappear altogether? What about the peer-reviewed medical literature on the subject? What about your fellow alcoholics testifying before you?
The issue facing a correct diagnosis is that there are confounding variables, and you seem to be either ridiculously uninformed about how to delineate them, or ideologically possessed about them. To be honest, you're proving the Dunning-Kruger effect by coming here with a confidence that is inversely correlated with the information required to inflate it.
So let's imagine somebody presents with a host of symptoms after quitting alcohol: you'd do a check for some mental illnesses. Of course, you'd have to wonder which came first, the mental illness or the alcohol. Self-medicating is indeed a thing, and I would be embarrassed to dismiss it as a legitimate phenomenon. Some people are less embarrassed about making sweeping generalizations, however.
Next, you'd eliminate the variables one at a time. So let's start with alcohol. As time passes, the issues associated with a severe imbalance of the body's nervous system start to subside and eventually vanish. What do you conclude? That the alcohol was the variable? Or, should we go with your angle and conclude we're all mentally ill *despite the constant refrain from the people whom you presume to care about that we ARE GETTING BETTER THE LONGER WE'RE SOBER*.
"I had many of these symptoms when I was first diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in my early 20s."
Infuriating! What would you expect from the withdrawal of a longerm GABA agonist like alcohol? Perhaps you'd expect the effect called "downregulation and uncoupling of GABA receptors". The body does this to maintain homeostasis. IT MIMICS ANXIETY DISORDER. This is the absolute crux of the issue: chemicals like alcohol and benzodiazepines downregulate GABA, the inhibitory neurotransmitter, and upregulate glutamate, the excitatory neurotransmitter, which can mimic mental illnesses (have you even done a basic wikipedia search on this? There are links to peer-reviewed journals there, and you could've saved everybody reading some time)
The largest and most depressing irony in all of this is your crocodile tears for the mentally ill being somehow (unexplainedly) stigmatized. All the while, people who are experiencing something that is largely agreed upon in the recovery community as a very real phenomenon are completely undermined by people like yourself. Now, I have never said "It's always PAWS and not mental illness". I've suggested people get an evaluation, and I've had them myself. But what you're saying is tantamount to "You're all actually mentally ill". While we "stigmatize the mentally ill" you come here with a sweeping diagnosis because "it runs in your family". I'm sorry, but those aren't credentials, nor does it pass as a well informed opinion.
At the risk of further laying myself bare to your scrutiny, I'll ask you to answer these two questions:
1) What do you make of somebody like myself who had all sorts of mental symptoms that gradually subsided with prolonged abstinence? And who has experienced improvement with a drug called Acamprosate that ONLY WORKS ON PEOPLE WITH A HISTORY OF ALCOHOLISM?
2) In your estimation, what would be a surefire way of removing the confounding variable of alcohol in order to enable a diagnosis of mental illness or PAWS? You must have a hypothesis on this.
And I would ask you a third question that you don't need to answer to anybody but yourself: what do you have to gain by coming into a thread where hundreds of people have found solace, and accusing them all of having mental illnesses? What is the net moral benefit to the community? As I've said before, I don't see the angle, and I'm not hesitant to say that your intent appears malicious at worst, and self-serving at best. Perhaps you'd be better suited to starting your own thread about how PAWS isn't real and we're all mentally ill and see how it goes for you.
Usually I go out of my way to be logical and levelheaded, but I'm exasperated by you naysayers. It ain't always PAWS, but it ain't never PAWS neither.
Matt
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Kyoto
Posts: 81
I'm sad that I have to post the link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-a...s_and_symptoms
"The protracted withdrawal syndrome from benzodiazepines, opioids, alcohol and other abused substances can produce symptoms identical to generalized anxiety disorder as well as panic disorder."
Ta-daa! If it goes away with prolonged abstinence, it's probably PAWS. If it doesn't, it likely isn't.
"The protracted withdrawal syndrome from benzodiazepines, opioids, alcohol and other abused substances can produce symptoms identical to generalized anxiety disorder as well as panic disorder."
Ta-daa! If it goes away with prolonged abstinence, it's probably PAWS. If it doesn't, it likely isn't.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Kyoto
Posts: 81
Lastly, you'll notice that OCD is on the list of symptoms of PAWS. OCD can include intrusive thoughts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsess...der#Obsessions
"Other obsessions concern the possibility that someone or something other than oneself—such as God, the devil, or disease—will harm either the person with OCD or the people or things that the person cares about."
Also on the list is Psychosis:
"A delusion may involve diverse thematic content. The most common type is a persecutory delusion, in which a person believes that some entity is attempting to harm them. "
There is also literature involving a woman withdrawing from benzodiazepines (affecting the same neurotransmitters as alcohol) feeling that her co-workers were poisoning her with zero history of such mental disorders: http://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20...t/38/2/160.pdf
Matt
"Other obsessions concern the possibility that someone or something other than oneself—such as God, the devil, or disease—will harm either the person with OCD or the people or things that the person cares about."
Also on the list is Psychosis:
"A delusion may involve diverse thematic content. The most common type is a persecutory delusion, in which a person believes that some entity is attempting to harm them. "
There is also literature involving a woman withdrawing from benzodiazepines (affecting the same neurotransmitters as alcohol) feeling that her co-workers were poisoning her with zero history of such mental disorders: http://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20...t/38/2/160.pdf
Matt
Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: NSW - Australia
Posts: 14,586
Thank you so much for starting this thread Matt.
I have been sober for a little over 3 months and benzo (Valium) free for 12 months. I know beyond doubt that I am still experiencing PAWS from the benzo's and have always suspected that alcohol might (also) be contributory. Makes sense. Similar transmitters.
I'm no neoroscientist, but I get the drift. GABA/Glutamate - homeostasis, balance. Sigh.
Benzo PAWS has been the worst circle of hell imaginable and I hang patiently for it to abate. I drank during the benzo withdrawal and experienced a drunkenness I have never before experienced. Unworldly.
Just wanted to say thanks, and will follow here.
I have been sober for a little over 3 months and benzo (Valium) free for 12 months. I know beyond doubt that I am still experiencing PAWS from the benzo's and have always suspected that alcohol might (also) be contributory. Makes sense. Similar transmitters.
I'm no neoroscientist, but I get the drift. GABA/Glutamate - homeostasis, balance. Sigh.
Benzo PAWS has been the worst circle of hell imaginable and I hang patiently for it to abate. I drank during the benzo withdrawal and experienced a drunkenness I have never before experienced. Unworldly.
Just wanted to say thanks, and will follow here.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Kyoto
Posts: 81
Hi Steely,
I'm happy for anybody getting some comfort from this thread.
I'm doing the same as you but in reverse order: sober from alcohol for 11 months and tapering off valium from the withdrawal. I was basically out of the woods in my third year of sobriety and drank moderately. Put myself back worse than before. I've never been on a prescription before, and I'm down to 3.1mg of V.
I'm hoping the taper is slow enough to dodge the benzo PAWS. It's barely even an active dose now. But the majority of my issues has been alcohol related, as shown by a dramatic improvement from acamprosate. If it weren't PAWS, it wouldn't have any effect.
Anyway, hang in there and thanks for the support.
Matt
I'm happy for anybody getting some comfort from this thread.
I'm doing the same as you but in reverse order: sober from alcohol for 11 months and tapering off valium from the withdrawal. I was basically out of the woods in my third year of sobriety and drank moderately. Put myself back worse than before. I've never been on a prescription before, and I'm down to 3.1mg of V.
I'm hoping the taper is slow enough to dodge the benzo PAWS. It's barely even an active dose now. But the majority of my issues has been alcohol related, as shown by a dramatic improvement from acamprosate. If it weren't PAWS, it wouldn't have any effect.
Anyway, hang in there and thanks for the support.
Matt
Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: NSW - Australia
Posts: 14,586
The thing I found with camprel ttamelbon was that it tricked me into believing I could drink more effectively. I drank on it and appeared I could hold alcohol without getting stupidly intoxicated. Everyone is different and am glad it's working for you.
I tapered from 5mgs Valium over 12 months and jumped at 1mg. Let's just say Hell has no bounds.
I am slowly improving but it has taken/taking a very long time.
I tapered from 5mgs Valium over 12 months and jumped at 1mg. Let's just say Hell has no bounds.
I am slowly improving but it has taken/taking a very long time.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,435
Originally Posted by Steely
The thing I found with camprel ttamelbon was that it tricked me into believing I could drink more effectively. I drank on it and appeared I could hold alcohol without getting stupidly intoxicated. Everyone is different and am glad it's working for you.
I tapered from 5mgs Valium over 12 months and jumped at 1mg. Let's just say Hell has no bounds.
I am slowly improving but it has taken/taking a very long time.
I tapered from 5mgs Valium over 12 months and jumped at 1mg. Let's just say Hell has no bounds.
I am slowly improving but it has taken/taking a very long time.
D
Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: NSW - Australia
Posts: 14,586
Could be Dee, but found (or thought I found) that I didn't get as messy when drinking and taking Campral at same time.
It went down the gurgler eventually, and defeated the very purpose of taking the Campral. Thought I could drink MORE! Abnormal thinking. Sobriety is so much better.
It was a joke. Great, I can now drink 4 qts of vodka and not fall over. Yay! Success, Steely. Aaarrrggghhh. Crazy shite.
It went down the gurgler eventually, and defeated the very purpose of taking the Campral. Thought I could drink MORE! Abnormal thinking. Sobriety is so much better.
It was a joke. Great, I can now drink 4 qts of vodka and not fall over. Yay! Success, Steely. Aaarrrggghhh. Crazy shite.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 11
just over 30 months alcohol free
Hi Guys,
Just wanted to update my situation.
I drank for 45 years. I am now 62 years old and gave up when I was 60 years old. It has been just over 30 months I have been alcohol free.
It has been a truly awful experience I have had with P.A.W.S.
I was feeling awful erratic mood swings the worst symptom's of which were anxiety, terror, feelings of impending doom and generally feelings of hopefulness.
I read avidly all available information about this P.A.W.S. thing including every bit of information here on SR.
I doubted I would ever get through this even though many stories I read, said we do recover given time. I thought "yea, I bet that does not apply to me".
I guess my history of drinking was down to my upbringing as I was always badgered by my two sisters growing up, as they always said I would never get a girlfriend, I looked silly etc etc.
My father always called me a girls name if I ever showed sensitivity and my Mother (Polish decent) was never there for me emotionally, in fact I cant remember ever getting a hug etc.
So, I ran away from my feelings of being useless and destined to never make the grade with booze.
When I got my first job I was terrified of getting the sack as I knew this would confirm my families constant brain washing that I was useless so, again I worked like a madman doing long hours and socialising after work to keep myself in the loop with my colleagues as I felt that may protect me if I was liked, and this involved after work drinking with these people.
I carried on living my life this way for so many years with booze being the common denominator in every social activity.
So, I decided to give up alcohol and boy what a shock with the protracted withdrawal symptoms as mentioned above.
I did however spend my time reading every book going on giving up drinking, I was obsessed with many youtube sites regarding giving up booze like, alcohol mastery, talksober, stop drinking expert etc.
So the point of my story is simply around two weeks ago I stared to realise that my "fear" i.e. anxiety, nervousness, feeling of doom etc was abating and I would find that I could sit down and feel just "ordinary".
That feeling of balance has continued and I feel sort of back to my old self being OK.....
I know this P.A.W.S. thing could come back so, I am not counting my chickens before they hatch but, I wanted to reach out and let people know that in spite of my doubts about ever getting better, it seems every article suggesting this happens seems to be spot on and accurate.
SR gave me hope, so I wanted to give something back in that after a long time of REGULAR drinking and being 62 years old, it can get better if you ride this awful wave called P.A.W.S.
Believe (as I did not) because it appears we mend.
Love to all.
Just wanted to update my situation.
I drank for 45 years. I am now 62 years old and gave up when I was 60 years old. It has been just over 30 months I have been alcohol free.
It has been a truly awful experience I have had with P.A.W.S.
I was feeling awful erratic mood swings the worst symptom's of which were anxiety, terror, feelings of impending doom and generally feelings of hopefulness.
I read avidly all available information about this P.A.W.S. thing including every bit of information here on SR.
I doubted I would ever get through this even though many stories I read, said we do recover given time. I thought "yea, I bet that does not apply to me".
I guess my history of drinking was down to my upbringing as I was always badgered by my two sisters growing up, as they always said I would never get a girlfriend, I looked silly etc etc.
My father always called me a girls name if I ever showed sensitivity and my Mother (Polish decent) was never there for me emotionally, in fact I cant remember ever getting a hug etc.
So, I ran away from my feelings of being useless and destined to never make the grade with booze.
When I got my first job I was terrified of getting the sack as I knew this would confirm my families constant brain washing that I was useless so, again I worked like a madman doing long hours and socialising after work to keep myself in the loop with my colleagues as I felt that may protect me if I was liked, and this involved after work drinking with these people.
I carried on living my life this way for so many years with booze being the common denominator in every social activity.
So, I decided to give up alcohol and boy what a shock with the protracted withdrawal symptoms as mentioned above.
I did however spend my time reading every book going on giving up drinking, I was obsessed with many youtube sites regarding giving up booze like, alcohol mastery, talksober, stop drinking expert etc.
So the point of my story is simply around two weeks ago I stared to realise that my "fear" i.e. anxiety, nervousness, feeling of doom etc was abating and I would find that I could sit down and feel just "ordinary".
That feeling of balance has continued and I feel sort of back to my old self being OK.....
I know this P.A.W.S. thing could come back so, I am not counting my chickens before they hatch but, I wanted to reach out and let people know that in spite of my doubts about ever getting better, it seems every article suggesting this happens seems to be spot on and accurate.
SR gave me hope, so I wanted to give something back in that after a long time of REGULAR drinking and being 62 years old, it can get better if you ride this awful wave called P.A.W.S.
Believe (as I did not) because it appears we mend.
Love to all.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 11
Hi Steely,
Yes it is all about time it appears. Remember that, just like Benzodiazepines (these pills target the same neurotransmitters as alcohol namely the G.A.B.A. and glutamate receptors in the brain) which throws the normal brain chemistry out, as the body, after years of regular intake comes to rely on the pills or alcohol and adjusts the naturally made brain chemicals to compensate for the foreign intruders reducing/readjusting the natural chemicals.
It therefore takes a long time for the brain to re adjust to NOT getting the influx of these chemicals to reset itself and bring back natural balance.
If you look at Benzo buddies internet site you can read stories of PAWS which copy the withdrawal drinkers get.
A good you tube site to understand what is happening is "alcohol dependence and withdrawal - Dr Matt and Dr Mike"
Danger though as this site mentions taking Benzo's as treatment for Alcohol withdrawal because clearly taking these pills is the same in a sense as taking a drink, and should not really be the way forward even though many Doctors use these horrid little pills for the withdrawal. (Don't take these evil little pills)
Benzo withdrawal is every bit as severe PAWS wise (seemingly worse) as alcohol withdrawal.
Patience is the only proper cure and for me 30 months.....
Take care
Yes it is all about time it appears. Remember that, just like Benzodiazepines (these pills target the same neurotransmitters as alcohol namely the G.A.B.A. and glutamate receptors in the brain) which throws the normal brain chemistry out, as the body, after years of regular intake comes to rely on the pills or alcohol and adjusts the naturally made brain chemicals to compensate for the foreign intruders reducing/readjusting the natural chemicals.
It therefore takes a long time for the brain to re adjust to NOT getting the influx of these chemicals to reset itself and bring back natural balance.
If you look at Benzo buddies internet site you can read stories of PAWS which copy the withdrawal drinkers get.
A good you tube site to understand what is happening is "alcohol dependence and withdrawal - Dr Matt and Dr Mike"
Danger though as this site mentions taking Benzo's as treatment for Alcohol withdrawal because clearly taking these pills is the same in a sense as taking a drink, and should not really be the way forward even though many Doctors use these horrid little pills for the withdrawal. (Don't take these evil little pills)
Benzo withdrawal is every bit as severe PAWS wise (seemingly worse) as alcohol withdrawal.
Patience is the only proper cure and for me 30 months.....
Take care
Member
Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 213
I’m going through hell with PAWS. I used to be so happy with my work but gradually my alcohol consumption crept up and I was drinking say 50-60 units a week. Less than some for sure but it was enough. Anyway it all came to a head when I went out drinking at Xmas in 2018. A day or so afterwards I just melted. I did not really have acute withdrawal. Just itching but my anxiety was through the roof. My I have lost so much of my resilience to stress. At the beginning making a cup of tea was hard. the thing is this all came at a time when I stopped taking antidepressants so I blamed that. Got put back on them I blamed the side effects but when it still did not stop my symptoms I slowly came to realise it’s because I have crossed the invisible line of binge drinker to addiction.
i have been sober for 6 months today. I do have days now where I feel on top of the world. But then something will happen say at work and I will just overreact to it emotionally. My stress would go through the roof then will feel like this for a few days. I get brain zaps too but these are starting to show signs of easing.
I might try this Acamprosate a go. I’m on buspirone but not really doing the business.
this is a great thread by the way. Always read it when I feel desperate and alone with my PAWS.
i have been sober for 6 months today. I do have days now where I feel on top of the world. But then something will happen say at work and I will just overreact to it emotionally. My stress would go through the roof then will feel like this for a few days. I get brain zaps too but these are starting to show signs of easing.
I might try this Acamprosate a go. I’m on buspirone but not really doing the business.
this is a great thread by the way. Always read it when I feel desperate and alone with my PAWS.
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