Dee74

Hi and welcome Will
I didn't have any PAWs when quitting weed but you've found a good support group here

D

FlyingDutchMan

Hey neighbour! That sounds like a tough journey for you so you are entitled to much praise for sticking with quitting for such a long time. I haven’t experienced PAWS myself but I was “only” addicted to weed (well, hash in fact) and alcohol has never really played a major role in my life.

It’s hard to keep that long term perspective in mind when you are not feeling well and you do not feel the benefits of staying off the booze and weed. Can you name the positives you are experiencing? Isn’t there any improvement? And how exactly is PAWS manifesting itself?

Please keep posting, this section is a bit quiet but I know the long timers are reading along and they might reply. If you feel more comfortable speaking in your own language (assuming you are from Flanders and Dutch speaking) you can always send me a PM.

Welcome to the forum btw

lynnmarie123

Hi Will and welcome to the forum!
Sorry to hear you are still having a tough go of it.
I had problems with PAWS when I quit drinking, but not so much with pot. It lasted for about a year for me.
This seems like a really long time for you to be still dealing with it, but you may be one of the long haulers.
But perhaps your anxiety is an unrelated issue. Have you consulted a doctor?
P.S. I think your English is fine. I wouldn't have guessed it was not your first language if you hadn't said so!

GM1982

Hi Dee,
Thank you.
Lucky you ha ha, the thing is, i quit alcohol in July 2020, i did not suffer from PAWS, quit Effexor in October 2020, did not suffer from PAWS either. Then, i quit weed in October 2021, to be honest, the first three months, i felt great, lots of energy, no depression or nothing, then i started to feel really depressed, anxiety went through the roof, intrusive thoughts, anhedonia. From 3-6 months, very hard, from 6-11 months, it was truly hell. Got some relief between 11-13 months, i was doing so great, exercising, great mood. But at 13 months mark, another wave hit me, it's way less severe then before, just bad anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Paws can last up to 2 years, i'm in for the long run i guess.

Will.

GM1982

Hey neighbor,

Lucky you then, weed paws is definitely a thing, but not everybody is experiencing it i guess.

It's definitely hard, but the good side of it is, i will never smoke or drink again, i went through hell once, not twice. I'm gonna stay sober and power through it, PAWS can last up to two years, only 11 months to go ha ha.

Isn’t there any improvement?

There are some improvements for sure. The thing is, i was feeling so good from 0-3 months, besides one week of the current withdrawals,i felt great, lots of energy, great mood, i was thinking, it's not that hard to quit a 20 years habit after all. But i think i was experiencing the "pink cloud" phase. Then, at the 3 months mark, i've started to be depressed, anxious, even suicidal, i was scared because i didn't know why i was being like that. Then i found a sub about Weedpaws, then i knew i was going through it.
PAWS is post acute withdrawal symptoms, it's basically your brain trying to find a balance without getting his drug, i can't go through the details, my English is too limited and i'm no doctor, but you can google it to find more about it. I've read some stories about people experiencing PAWS for 2 years, some even more. You can get PAWS from a lot of things like drugs, alcohol, porn, coffee, etc....It comes in waves, you feel good then you crash, then you feel good again.
I felt like **** from 3 to 11 months, but i got some relief until months 13, so i'm hoping that it's just another wave.

I hope some old timers will read this and will comment about it, it feels good to read some success stories.

PS : i'm from the south of Belgium, so it's either French or English.

Thank a bunch.

GM1982

Hi Lynnmarie123,

Thank you for your kind words, PAWS from weed is basically the same as for alcohol or another drug, i'm glad that you've fully healed from it, it's truly hell.

I guess i'm here for the long run, i did smoke and drink for +20 years, so even if it takes two years to go away, it's not that bad.

"But perhaps your anxiety is an unrelated issue. Have you consulted a doctor?" I did consulte my doctor, but they don't even know what PAWS is, and their solution were to put me on benzos, no thank you, i'm not gonna take another addictive substance that i'm gonna have to quit in the future (and going through PAWS again), i'm free now (expect for nicotine) and i will stay free for the rest of my life.
Now, that's a great point, i can't really know for sure if it's paws or if i have an anxiety disorder, so i'm gonna power through it until i reach the 2 years mark and i'll see how it goes.

PS : Thanks, i do my best ;-)

FlyingDutchMan

Bonjour Will

I hope those symptoms fade away, much respect that you are still vigilant in your will to quit. I recognise some things you write, I’ll read more into PAWS.

Have a good weekend!

Ronantian

Hi Will,

Sorry to hear you’re going through a tough time. Have you ever done any counselling or talking therapy? I’m not sure powering through for two years is the best option.

Addiction can often stem from attempts self-medicate underlying mental health issues like anxiety and depression. It may be that you’ve always had problems with anxiety, and alcohol and weed were your way of coping with it. I know that weed was my primary means of coping with anxiety.

Doctors tend to medicalise mental health. That’s why I’d suggest counselling or therapy. That will help you develop better coping mechanisms without prescription medications.

GM1982

Hi Ronantian,

I appreciate your take on my case, and to be honest, you could be right about me having used alcohol and drugs to cope with depression and anxiety, i did begin my addict carrier at a young age and it's hard to remember how i felt back then, but i hear you. On the other hand, the fact that i felt so good when i quit weed for at least 3 months then crashed leave me thinking that it's probably PAWS that i'm experiencing, i've read a lot about it, discussed with lots of people who are suffering like me after quitting weed, the pattern is same, symptoms are the same, the fact that i felt very good between month 11 to 13 is showing that like PAWS, it comes in waves, it shows that the brain is trying to find his balance, PAWS lasts between 6 months to 2 years and i feel way better than i was at 6 months or 9 months. But it's gonna take more time to get back to baseline where i'll be able to live my live to the fullest.

About counseling and therapy, i did some counseling but it wasn't helping at all. I would consider therapy if i'm still a mess at the two years mark. Learning how to cope with anxiety without any medications is my goal. I'm already trying a few things like breathing exercices, long walk, cold showers every mornings, those help for sure.

My big problem is, i didn't learn how to go through life and face all the adversities, i'm just starting now at almost 40yo.

Will.

Dee74

New Year new starts - hows everyone doing?

D

lynnmarie123

Happy New Year to you Dee! How are you doing?
I am well. Looking forward to another sober year!
It sure has been quiet on the forum lately. I hope everyone is okay.

Dee74

I am good thanks lynnmarie - glad you're well too
Hopefully we'll hear from a few more regulars soon,
D

FlyingDutchMan

Hello Dee and the gang! It’s a new year allright, good to hear you are doing well. Nice to hear from you as well Lynnmarie. I am doing pretty good, having a little trouble adjusting after a two week holiday. During the holidays I have not been able to keep my sober streak going. I am back at it again now but my motivation isn’t quite what it was. Let's see how this week pans out, so far so good.

It would be nice to hear how other people are doing, so make yourselves heard.

All my best!

Dee74

sorry you stumbled but I'm glad you're back at it FDM

D

FlyingDutchMan

A little follow up, I was in a rush last time I posted. I did stumble but there’s more to that story. In the weeks leading up to the holidays I had been feeling quite low (again), something that seems to happen to me every time I have prolonged bouts of sobriety. I was at around 3,5 months sober but the feeling was very similar to the way I had been feeling off and on when I quit for nearly two years (jan 2018 - dec 2019). Back then I had visited my doctor and talked things over, but nothing really happened and eventually I started smoking weed again, which led to the disappearance of the low bouts. It did bring on other problems though but that’s a different story.

I visited my doctor again a couple of weeks ago, was referred to someone who specialises in mental health and the end result is that they prescribed me anti depressants, which I’ve started taking since last Friday. It was quite a step for me to do so, but I made a promise to myself to try and take different paths to conquer my weed addiction.

I have a follow up appointment in about three weeks, to monitor how I am doing and I am supposed to take the medication for at least six months, if not longer. I’m very curious as to what it will do for me

So, I’ve taken a new step, hopefully in the right direction. I’ll try and post an update every now and then.

FlyingDutchMan

Let’s see if I can kickstart this thread with a little update. The first week on meds was rough, my stomach was very upset, I was nauseous and I felt worst mentally. My doc did tell me this was probably going to happen. Now things are starting to get better slowly and it will probably take a few more days before the medication will start to have its therapeutic effect. I am still somewhat opposed to the idea of using meds but something had to give.

Dee74

Sorry I missed your post FDM.
I really hope the new meds will work out

D

lynnmarie123

Wishing you the best of luck! I hope the meds work out for you.

Dee74

Hi lynnmarie
D

lynnmarie123

Hi Dee! How's it going?