N3p3nth3

I have come to realize that some of my earlier periods of sobriety were derailed by what I now know to be PAWS-- post-acute withdrawal symptoms. It's only through reading extensively on quitting that I learned about PAWS and the strange symptoms that fall under that umbrella. I thought it might be useful to talk a bit more about PAWS for those who are diving into sobriety and haven't heard much about it-- as was the case for me early on.

Some of my funky PAWS symptoms have included:

Feeling "dry-drunk." There were a few spells well into my second and third week where I felt strangely uncoordinated, spacey, and hyper-aware of my body. A few times, walking around the supermarket, I just felt really awkward and self-conscious, sort of as if I were drunk. It seems to me that these spells fell on days where I was feeling particularly moody or anxious as well.

Another big one has been sensitivity to sound. On some days, I feel like I can hear every minute noise and I just crave silence. Even in my 10th floor apartment, I find myself picking up every little noise from the street and wishing I could shut it off. This has lasted for a day or two at a time in the second and third week, but thankfully it passes!

Another has been occasional bouts of anxiety and poor sleep with very intense dreams. On average, I'm sleeping infinitely better than when I was drinking, but there were a few days into the third week where I felt very physical anxiety accompanied by light sleep. One night, I had a vivid night mare that woke me up repeatedly and every time I fell back asleep I went right back into the same dream. Thankfully, these episodes also pass and last just a day or two.

So I'm curious to hear from others. Have you felt any strange PAWS symptoms? How often? For how long?

justinJustQuit

This past Monday I either had paws or I was really dehydrated. I felt dizzy, sensitivity to sound, and was very tired (admittedly I have been sleeping like 6 hours a night since quitting drinking).

I'm not sure if that's paws but it sucked. It lasted about two days.

Bailey3

I've had minor dry drunk sessions. Mostly it's been the inability to think clearly, (in a fog mentally). The depression and anxiety have been overwhelming at times also.

safeandsound

Glad to see this here. I am on Day 8 and third day of fake hangover. I definitely have been feeling both of the above, sleeping only 4 or 5 hours these nights and crazy nightmares. Feeling drunk or maybe stoned all day yesterday.

Plus my body is aching all over to the point I haven't exercised in days and have to drag myself around to get anything done. Just going to work is a real challenge, then afterwards I feel exhausted.

Is emotional insanity part of PAWS? I have been having intense memories pop up of my mom and dad (dad died in 1998 too young, mom just died in February and still grieving), which make me sad, plus just a general sense of deep, deep, sadness. As I said on another thread, this is probably because I have twenty years of stuff I haven't dealt with. The last two years were particularly rough (for a change not due to what I did but major life events that happened which were traumatic).

You said only a couple days? Why is this continuing for the third day? I have lots of work to do, and I can't get my mind to focus or the feelings to stop!
I have been sober several times before, but I don' t remember it lasting this long. Of course my last yearlong "relapse" was the worst I've ever had.

I am still VERY grateful to be sober and will tolerate this because it's way better than my horrid hangovers (I once had to ask the bus driver to pull over so I could get out. Then I puked on the sidewalk in front of everyone!)

My question for those with more experience: yes, I'll put up with it, but what did you do if you had to think clearly for work? How do you handle daily responsibilities when you feel spacy and sad and overwhelmed??

safeandsound

from addictionsandrecovery is what I'm worried about: "Be patient. You can't hurry recovery. But you can get through it one day at a time. If you resent post-acute withdrawal, or try to bulldoze your way through it, you will become exhausted. And when you're exhausted you will think of using to escape."

I am starting to resent it. Need patience.

PolarBlue

On day 6 now. I went out yesterday for the first time since quitting and felt drunk on the drive home. It was at night and I had a hard time seeing the road. I was paranoid that I would get pulled over, and I had to keep reminding myself that I'm not drunk.

I'm also still suffering from extreme fatigue. It doesn't matter how much sleep I get. Just had a vivid dream that I triggered the end of the world and woke up in a panic.

It's not as bad as the first couple days when my heart was racing and I was sweating all the time. I slept with the AC on even when it wasn't hot in the house.

happyandfree

I swear this is why it's so hard in the beginning to stick with it. I remember thinking, if im going to feel so terrible, I may as well drink. For me the brain fog lasted a couple of months. The dizziness and uncertainty like you mentioned went on for a while too. The insomnia was only a couple of weeks. I'm in my 7th month now and everything is much better. Thank goodness, otherwise I'd be drinking. . I take supplements, drink lots of water, excercise, eat well and get plenty of sleep and rest. my mood and anxiety levels have improved tremendously.

Soberwolf

Just hang in there everyone whats stops me thinking about drink is knowing its not the answer

i hate alcohol so much i cant entertain it in my head its definatly not escape its definatly a prison

and i aint going back

have a great sober weekend im making homemade fried chicken and chips

heartcore

I, too had crazy nightmares & struggled with sleep. Crazy nightmares! I did not have symptoms like this in previous quitting experiences, but like someone said earlier, this last run was my "hardest" in terms of drink.

I am trying to do all the right things - exercise, water, nutrition, meetings. I started taking melatonin for sleep, but just read the melatonin "sticky" in the sleep section, & will stop that immediately, because perhaps that is contributing to my fatigue & headaches.

I'm at 6 weeks, and the nightmares have stopped (around week 3). Now it is about headaches and very tight sore muscles, particularly in my neck & shoulders. I got a massage this week, but am still hurting.

It all makes sense though. Alcohol relaxes the muscles. You pass out, rather than go to sleep. My body is just confused and trying to speak to me.

As to work, I have a very high-powered job & couldn't take any time off to nurse myself through early recovery. I was inefficient, spacy, and - some days - practically useless. But I suited up & showed up & tried to smile at people a lot. Because I wasn't my usual "fast-talking" self, some other people got a word in edgewise, & my listening skills grew. Last week (week five), I was feeling somewhat better & tried to put in extra time & devotion. Fascinatingly, I got a "performance bonus" during this work period in which I didn't feel "present.". Maybe quieting down at work made me look more considered & thoughtful?

What I figured out is that what others see & what we feel doesn't necessarily match up. We already know that from dragging ourselves loaded through life, so why would early sobriety be that different? We are masters at going to work impaired. Early sobriety is like being very sick; just dress snappy, be friendly with people, and act like you have a cold but are so very dedicated that you're working anyway. Carry around jugs of water, and leave cold medicine obviously strewn about your desk...mention often that you're struggling with insomnia (but not why), and ask co-workers if they've ever dealt with that & do they have tips...go in the next day and tell them that you tried the hot bath/cup of tea/ late night yoga, and thank them for their suggestion...

This too shall pass.

N3p3nth3

I think the emotional roller-coaster ride is normal, so here's hoping your mood improves soon! I know what you mean about years of stuff not dealt with. I definitely started drinking to self-medicate away some baggage. Now, years later, it sometimes feels like I'm going back in time and revisiting thoughts and emotions I had blurred out through the drinking years.

For me, the bouts of negative emotions in recovery seem to last about two days. But I'm sure it's different for everyone & the key is just to stay on track. It's sure to get better as time passes...

roguedreams

For some reason, I thought PAWS was long term - like, 4-6 months after initial sobriety.

Anything within the first month, is that AWS?

Anyway, I'm two weeks sober and I can definitely say I feel the waves of wonky-ness every now and again. Everybody is different, for sure. But the ditzy-ness (putting a spoon in the fridge, walking into Starbucks with my fly undone, buying shampoo instead of body wash by accident, thinking I was supposed to be somewhere but can't for the life of me remember what I was supposed to be doing, etc.) is definitely there.

I just rather embrace it, and am grateful for it, as it means I'm sober. Rather laughable really. Hehe.

Though, as well, the nightmares are there, and last week I had some pretty extreme mood swings. I figured it was just "normal" detox.

I found this interesting link on it:

P.A.W.S. | What…Me Sober?

N3p3nth3

That's a good question-- where is the distinction between acute and post-acute. I only felt what I thought of as acute symptoms for a day or so. I figured everything after roughly 2 weeks would be post-acute, but maybe I was being optimistic about how fast I was progressing!

Interestingly, the link you provided suggests that PAWS symptoms can be their worst at 3 - 6 months. Sounds like I still have some fun to come.

Tang

Surreal nightmares. Really bizarre. Random anxiety. Anxious all the time. Come to think of it, that may just be me.