BettyP

Laza, I had severe agoraphobia in my PAWS, and it was frankly just so awful. I did force myself to do a lot of things, partially because I had to and partially because I didn't want to get trapped in my house for the rest of my life. There's a bit of both approaches that worked - that is, you do have to push yourself a little or else you'll succumb to total despair that your life is over, and getting through doing one hard thing does help you do the same thing again the next time. However, over stressing yourself and trying to force myself to do more than I could do did also trigger more symptoms, so when your brain is really telling you to stop, you gotta stop. I have found that now that I'm back to mostly normal, I don't even think that much about where I can and can't go anymore - there's a twinge of anxiety before I have to go to someplace I haven't been before, and regular anxiety if I know there will be traffic, but for the most part I am back to normal, and I honestly did not push myself as much as I probably could have with exposure therapy. You'll get back to normal and see the agoraphobia for what it is: a very nasty PAWS symptom.

Ayers

Has anyone suffered from candida after quitting (and during drinking). I know sugar ( Which is what alcohol turns into) is a huge contributor to candida.
So is impaired gut health (which alcohol definitely wreaks havoc on)
I have long ago cut sugar and I cut back on breads etc.
I went to a naturopath today. She looks at your blood under a microscope and she said I have severe candida in my blood. JIKES !!
It can cause major fatigue and many of the other symptoms we suffer from in PAWS. Which explains the fatigue I suffer from. I stopped Dr Google after I got really scared.
So now we're going to kill the candida - the natural way - and restore gut health.
Just thought I'd put it out here - maybe someone has had the same experience?

Karenita

Sometimes the PAWS will come on suddenly, but I do know that with me it tends to happen when I am in situations where I feel overwhelmed. Being in situations where there are crowds, etc... I honestly sometimes just talk myself through it. When going out say to the store or anywhere else there will be crowds, I just tell myself I can always just leave. Knowing I have options can kind of calm it down a bit. Just like BettyP, I have to force myself sometimes to do things, and I do feel better when I feel like I accomplished something. One of my newer symptoms seems to be double checking (3-4 times) that I have locked all the doors, stove burners are off, etc... This forum has been so helpful especially the threads/posts about PAWS. It helps knowing others are going through or have gone through the same thing.

LazaB

I have been meditating for about 20 days now and i feel the benefits already , but somehow i think that being satisfied or happy is not going to help me beat this as much as anger will. Anger is a pure offense feeling , anger towards my weaknesses will make me more motivated , plus i have so much to be angry about , i grew up in the same house with my brother and he was always the normal one and i was always a **** up , multiple phobias( elevators , heights , hypochondriac ) as a kid , introverted and shy , bullied in school , i could go on , my brother is younger than me and he never had any of those problems ( same parents same everything ) , so the amount of rage i can feel sometimes is unbelievable , today i had tears coming down my face at the end of a 20 minute meditation session , because anger turned into depression.
Somehow the more i think about it i realize that alcohol, was just the thing that made things infinitely worse , but they were never great to begin with.
Thank you all for your kind massages.

TiredCarpenter

I had what I call the “dropsies” today.
I’ve dropped or fumbled nearly everything I handled today. I must’ve dropped 19 items today. (guessing)

This happens for about a day, sometimes longer, every three or four months. It has actually been a longer stretch this time, maybe six or more months since the last episode.
I found it frustrating. I would loose my cool and start swearing.
There is no remedy for it. Hopefully it’ll go away tomorrow.

At 568 days sober, I see that there are still some lingering effects.
All the more resolve to embrace a sober life. The un-pickling process is slow.

Be well all.

rothmaninc

Nearing 23 months,( in fairness many, many years on pain meds) still have occasional symptoms but they are less severe. This winter has been terrible with head colds, viruses, and suffering through constant rainy weather. The two prevalent remaining symptoms are lack of energy, almost daily, and sleep issues.
Any experiences, and similarities shared would be appreciated. In fairness I have met and conversed with many who do not have PAWS who are complaining of depression, and feeling ill often this winter.

BettyP

Like TiredCarpenter says, "The un-pickling process is slow." I, too, get the "dropsies" and it goes on for a few days - it's so annoying.
Rothman - I have noticed that in general about illnesses lately in general. Like a lot of people are getting sick and staying sick longer. The weather is definitely not helping. I got a low grade cold from my family and I still have sinus symptoms almost a week and a half later.
On the PAWS front, it's funny a few days ago it had been a long time since I'd have any major noticeable symptoms and in my brain I really thought "I beat this thing!" And yep, you guessed it haha - not even 24 hours later I started having a wave. Not a bad wave, mind you, but the generalized anxiety, digestion, pins and needles in my feet - the classics. It didn't entirely take me out, but it did humble me - - it's a slow road. If you're out there struggling today, just know that you're on the right track and as long as you don't drink you won't go backwards. :-)

Asix9

The beginning of this year is not so good for me😪 maybe because of the new job, new country , expectations. I had one very big wave for around one month with (mild)mood swings, cold body temperature, brain fog, depression etc.
Some days is good, some days its not.
Again Depressive (intrusive thoughts) like in the first year. They pop up from nothing and its hard.
I have very big problem with the motivation, every morning i need to force myself to go to work.
Maybe its related with my AD's , but my dose is so small .
My Motivation right now is that i give 100% and this is all i can. I hope that in the next months i will escape from this darky situation.
Almost 27 months 💯💥💢💫💞 . Trust the process ,People!!!

Karenita

Has anyone experienced a cool menthol type sensation in their chest area? No pain or discomfort, just a cool menthol like sensation. Sometimes moves to upper stomach area. Maybe it is just the anxiety coming and going. But I thought that after 5-6 months it would be going away by now. Guess not.

Adam10

Not in my chest area, but for the last six months or so the bottom half of my face will feel very cold and ‘wet’, even though it isn’t.

rothmaninc

BettyP....thank you!!!

Steely

In early days felt like rain was falling on my skin, though it wasn’t raining.

Mine related to benzos (as prescribed), not alcohol. Same receptors.

Doesn’t happen anymore.

Adam10

It's certainly a very peculiar feeling!

Thanks Steely.

rothmaninc

My situation stems from pain medication over many years. I do not believe that PAWS discriminates... I am one month short of two years
without use, I still ave a lack of energy, sleep issues, and small windows of anxiety. I will say to all here that these symptoms decrease
tremendously over time. My anxiety level has improved immensely, and I am only using 7mgs of Melatonin and one 100mg of Gabapentin per night
to sleep 7 hours or more. I am able to consume coffee daily to assist in the fight against energy decrease. For my friends here who are further along,
than us; at 23 months did you battle some sleep issues, and depleted energy levels? What should be expected going forward?
For those who are early on I promise that it does get better, when the weeks begin to be months, and so on, expect improvement.
The reason PAWS is such a concern, and should be a focal point is that without threads like this people recovering would never know that it gets better.
Happy Holidays, and I look forward to responses from the senior statesmen/women here...

LazaB

I'm back , still sober , started going for long walks and runs in the park near my house , some days it's uncomfortable sand some days i feel zero anxiety , so i don't know what the hell is going on , i am seeing my psychiatrist again this Wednesday and she said that she will start to reduce my benzos , that should be fun ( in the most horrible not at all fun way ). Some days anxiety is very high , some days it's zero , last time i had a drink was the beginning of February , i am still who knows how far away from being normal.

BettyP

Rothman, at around two years I remember still being very very tired during the day - like unable to walk up two flights of stairs without taking a break. But then at night having trouble falling asleep. I would also often get wild dreams and sleep paralysis and wake up with a jolt - like when you dream that you tripped over a curb or fell down the steps, if that makes sense? My daytime energy improved quite a lot once I got past three years - I feel mostly normal all the time, with the exception of some mild waves here and there. I chalked it up at the time to my brain spending all of its energy on doing whatever it has to do to fix my neurons and stuff, and there just wasn't anything left for regular walking around. It will get better - I go to yoga twice a week now and walk 30-40 minutes most days -- you'll get there.

Laza - cheering for you from Boston here - - keep us posted on your tapering and come here when and if you need support. We're all cheering for you to get sober and stay sober :-)