Babescake

Question about PAWS. If you were a binge drinker of about 3 to 4x a week for about e years and didn't experience physical withdrawal can you still get it and can it be severe? I have read a lot about it and it scares me. I already deal with depression and take medication and did so while drinking. Can this make it worse?

I just started a new job in a creative field that is demanding, requires a lot of writing and project management and I am scared to lose it if I experience a lot of the brain fog or memory issues. Also scared my depression will come back hardcore which also affects my ability to work.

Is it likely I won't get and can still function properly?

wehav2day

Hi, welcome! Alcohol withdrawal isn't very predictable, I'm not sure of your situation. But two things: talk to a doctor, quit sooner rather than later. The longer we drink, the more starts and stops we do, the worse it is.

Yes there can be brain fog, yes there an be attention issues. But here's how I looked at it... Even if I'm a little compromised by paws, it beats the hell out of being hungover or drunk. I speak publicly for a living. Brain fog scared me too. But I had to look at it realistically. Fear of paws symptoms for me was really my alcoholisms way of making me put off quitting.

So I bit the bullet and quit. And I was fine.

That said, if you have been consistently drinking for a long time and worry about acute withdraw (shakes, seizures, cardiovascular issues) go to a doctor.

But if it's long term you are worried about, I'd just bite the bucket and get On with it. You will still get your work done, we alcoholics are resourceful.

ScottFromWI

PAWS is one of those things that is shrouded in mystery. What we do know for sure is that it's not a medically or psychiatric condition that can be diagnosed at this time, it's mostly a collection of symptoms that may or may not occur at any time after acute withdrawal. The list of potential symptoms is long and the actual time frame as to when it may occur is also very vague. It's also nearly impossible to tell if what people are having is really "PAWS" or just a collection of symptoms like the ones that PAWS might contain. For example, anxiety is a potential PAWS symptom, but regular GAD is common in addicts and is a separate, diagnosable, treatable situation.

So the bottom line is, no one can predict if, when, or how severe any PAWS related symptoms might be. Not even a doctor or a psychiatrist. How much you drank or how often you did it really has no correlation either.

But if you've started a new job and things seem to be going well now, that's what I'd focus on. Worrying about something that you might or might not get won't really help at all. Focusing on your recovery and your health now is probably the best preventative measure you can take.

Babescake

Okay it is discouraging having the bravery to write something and barely know one answers. I have read here and researched way more than I have posted and not getting that much advice makes a difference to me. I am very analytical and like to select and compare, knowing everyone IS actually unique. It is hard for me and causes me great anxiety without others weighing in. Did I post something wrong that is overplayed? This topic of conversation, as well as weight, is a huge trigger for me. I hate it being dismissed that it is better than drinking.

I am a binger a few times a week and do not suffer acute withdrawals, but I am educated enough to know that I need to stop. Other peoples' experiences with this and weight really hold a big weight for me, no pun intended. If I gain weight, for example, that experience will override my sobriety as it is a HUGE issue for me with my depression, which is centerfold.

REsoberALITY

Hello babescake. Try not to get too discouraged. I think the main reasons (like others have said) your questions are tough to answer, is because both weight and paws are so unpredictable while recovering. Youve read a lot so you've seen a wide range of some folks lost weight, some folks gained weight and post acute withdrawals can be all over the place or nonexistent.

I think keep if you keep a good diet and exercise the results will be the best they can. As for paws...... If you start to have a reoccurring problem with anything that seems to be holding you back at work, your dr should be able to help you feel better.

Keep pushing..... Hope this helped a little.

sg1970

I'm sorry you have not gotten the responses you expected. My experience probably wouldn't help.

The reality is that going through PAWS or weight gain is better than continuing to drink. PAWS, if it even occurs, is temporary. Weight gain from quitting drinking, which again may not even occur, should be manageable. If you let the fear of these two things stop you from quitting now what are the possibilities? Perhaps your drinking progresses until you lose the job you are worried about PAWS affecting. Perhaps you get to the point where you do start to experience major physical withdrawals. Perhaps you progress to daily drinking. The list of what could happen is long and none of it's pretty. Also, drinking for people with depression is like pouring gasoline on a fire. The alcohol could be worse for your depression than the weight gain (which may not even happen).

Best wishes to you Babescake. Getting sober is not easy but it is worth it.

damascus1986

i did experince some from time to time ( opiate addict) seemed like once every 6 months or randomly with about that time scale. I personally described it as " that old familiar feeling" reminded me of withdrawl but it was no where near as bad. there was one time id say around a year and a few months that was the worst but every attack only lasted 30 mins to a hour. I definetly agree with SG^^^^^ its much better then using again.

Babescake

Yes, my psychiatrist already knows about my drinking, which occurred WAY later than my clinical depression set in. The depression set in during college. Alcohol? See the rest of the post. That happened after college.

Drinking? I attribute that with follow up of childbirth. I was so concerned with having a kid, I talked to my psych dr. for multiple years about it. Turns out, when pregnant, I felt AMAZING. Birth happened, breastfed religiously for 10 months (slight indications of depression there, my dosage was lowered, but never stopped. Looking back, I can see where hormones started playing a factor). After my first year, my depression just quadrupled. Slowly, over time, I've stopped working out. This is a huge deal for me as I've always been fit and I enjoy working out. Nope, going on two years now. I then became an alcoholic (not sure when, still deciding actually), which I still struggle with now. I want another child. I was so worried about PPD that I didn't even consider hormones or whatever else flows through our bodies and brains. I experienced delayed PPD for sure. I felt pretty good through the actual pregnancy and after. Breastfeeding was good, yet experiences/hormones shifted when started weaning around 8-9 months.

melki

It appears you have a tendency to over-analyze and think too far ahead (no judgment, I've been there too). There's nothing to fear about sobriety. It is not dismissive, it's the truth that many of us have come to know: nothing you can do in recovery is as bad as the damage you continue to inflict while drinking. You can't control and predict everything and you can't worry what may or may not be. Whatever comes your way, you can choose to address with it in the healthiest way possible, including dealing with weight and depression by exercise, balanced diet, proper rest, meditation, etc.

Babescake

That is probably true and I have not let it hold me back. I know I am still in early stage and I do not want to progress further, yet I hate seeing forever. Yes I know about stuff. As a light binger it is hard. I had sobriety built up and thej caved one day. Continued afterward.

Lorax1981

In your original post you wrote that you drank for "e years". I did get paws but I drank and smoked pot for like 15 years. Drinking 4x a week is going to have a worse impact on the new job than PAWS and if you haven't been drinking for like 10 years or more I wouldn't think you were at a high risk for PAWS. In the long term, being sober is going to help with just about all of the issues you're facing.