SARA55555

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this and I just wanna get some opinions. I've been sober since September 25th 2014 and my paws symptoms have almost gone away until I noticed some of the symptoms creep back up a few months ago (mild to moderate anxiety, racing thoughts, fatigue etc). I'm over 3 years sober and these symptoms are still lingering. Is that normal? Also I noticed my paws symptoms come back or are exasperated when I'm sick with the cold or flu? Has anyone had this happen or is this all in my head? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! I wish you all good health and whatever your hearts desire!

MindfulMan

At some point you have to wonder if its PAWS or some sort of underlying mental health issue. Depression?

If so, that can be helped as well.

ScottFromWI

"PAWS" is not a diagnosable condition from either a medical or psychological standpoint. It's really just a term to describe a wide range of symptoms common amongst those in recovery. I would also suggest you may have an underlying medical or psychological issue to explore. Mine was anxiety and I did not acknowledge or get help until I had been sober for about 2 and a half years.

Dee74

Hi and welcome Sara

Sometimes what we're feeling may not be due to our addictions at all? I reckon
this gets more and more true the more recovery time we accrue.

At 3 years in I'd see a Dr get a full check up etc

D

NYCDoglvr

I don't know if PAWS exists. But I feel crappy (anxious, fearful) when I haven't been to enough meetings, something bad happens, a cold/flu, it's dark and rainy.
What we learn, however, is it passes. Everything passes, the good and the bad.

Forward12

Most of the time "paws" is just simply dealing with everyday life. It isn't always going to be rainbows and unicorns, and everyone has to deal with stresses and sometimes anxiety.
If it's something that is ongoing all the time, then perhaps reaching out to a therapist will help.

Thompson21

I'm curious I've been sober for two year almost and still have ups and downs. Did your symptoms go away completely and then return? Mine sometimes do that, sometimes they're gone for a week and then come back, but it seems to be getting less and less intense with time passing.

ScottFromWI

Congrats on 2 years, that's a great accomplishment!

I think your questions gets back to the point that "PAWS" is really just a term coined by the recovery community - not a disorder/disease/diagnosable condition. If you have recurring symptoms of things like depression, anxiety, etc several years into sobriety it may be time to consider that you actually have anxiety, depression, etc and need to treat them as such through therapy, counseling, etc.

Most real problems in life do not just "go away" - we need to take action to treat them. As active alcoholics, our default response to problems was to drink in order to hide/run away/deny that the problems actually existed - which of course usually makes them worse, not better. Once we quit drinking we need to face those problems and deal with them.

My personal issue was anxiety - health anxiety to be specific. I cannot say whether my drinking caused my anxiety or not, and in the end it really doesn't matter what caused it. It actually improved initially after I had a few weeks sober, but then it cycled up and down for months and even years after quitting. After about 2 years, I finally decided to talk to a counselor just to see as I was having panic attacks. I wish I would have done so way sooner, because once I was able to accept that I had an anxiety issue I was able to treat it and the improvement has been fantastic.

Andante

If by "ups and downs" you mean general emotional disturbance, then as Scott said, there may be underlying issues that can be treated individually, or it may be simply the ups and downs that life offers without being numbed by alcohol.

For me, PAWS was more about specific and peculiar neurological symptoms. Mood disturbances happened too, but they seemed tied to the neurological glitches and occurred independently of life situations, thus leading me to believe there wasn't much point in treating them individually, at least in my case.

My neurological symptoms did indeed come and go, but with decreasing frequency and severity as time passed. I don't think I'll ever be entirely free of them, but at nearly 5 years sober, they're only a shadow of what they were for the first 2 years.

The point is that timelines aren't important. The only important thing to remember is that things WILL get better over time as long as you don't ever drink again.

Congrats on your sobriety!

treeguy24

You can't put a time stamp on recovery. I think PAWs is a real thing and it can last for different lengths of time for different people. Obviously how long you've been using and the quantity in which you were using can influence it.

Taking it day by day and dealing with "symptoms" as they come is the way to go. Mark each day sober as a success.

Doug39

I am at 14 months sober and what I consider PAWS is pretty much gone.

I still have anxiety at times but now I have the right coping skills.

My way to cope in the past was always to pick up a bottle. I was always either hungover , half drunk or completely drunk - that is no way to live.