38 days in hell Paws
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 2
38 days in hell Paws
Hey guys,
Iv just recently joined the sobriety community. Iv been drinking for 7 years. Iv tried multiple times to quit. Failed. But not this time! I believe I might have kindled. My PAWS Symptoms are a nightmare to say the least. No memory. Confusion. Anxiety. Cognitively impaired.
Can anyone relate? How long does the brain take to recover from this, is it permanent?
Kind regards,
Lib.
Iv just recently joined the sobriety community. Iv been drinking for 7 years. Iv tried multiple times to quit. Failed. But not this time! I believe I might have kindled. My PAWS Symptoms are a nightmare to say the least. No memory. Confusion. Anxiety. Cognitively impaired.
Can anyone relate? How long does the brain take to recover from this, is it permanent?
Kind regards,
Lib.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Pacific Coast
Posts: 785
Hi Liberty and welcome!
Yes, I can relate to the disturbance and frustration of post-acute withdrawal, which for me consisted of all the symptoms you listed, plus a few others. Unfortunately there's no universal timeline for improvement, as everyone's different and the range is very broad. As a general rule, you should start to feel a bit of difference by around 90 days in.
What helped me was to realize that while I could not do anything to control my symptoms, I could control my emotional reaction to them. When I had what I called a "bad brain day," I would just do my best to work around the deficiencies without allowing my frustration to rule my life. At first, every day was a "bad brain day," but over time, good days began to outweigh the bad ones until eventually the bad ones just faded into the background noise of everyday life.
For now, try to take solace in the knowledge that your symptoms are a sign that your brain is healing from alcohol abuse. It may take a while before you're 100% again, but you'll definitely see improvement if you're patient and don't drink again. Good luck!
Yes, I can relate to the disturbance and frustration of post-acute withdrawal, which for me consisted of all the symptoms you listed, plus a few others. Unfortunately there's no universal timeline for improvement, as everyone's different and the range is very broad. As a general rule, you should start to feel a bit of difference by around 90 days in.
What helped me was to realize that while I could not do anything to control my symptoms, I could control my emotional reaction to them. When I had what I called a "bad brain day," I would just do my best to work around the deficiencies without allowing my frustration to rule my life. At first, every day was a "bad brain day," but over time, good days began to outweigh the bad ones until eventually the bad ones just faded into the background noise of everyday life.
For now, try to take solace in the knowledge that your symptoms are a sign that your brain is healing from alcohol abuse. It may take a while before you're 100% again, but you'll definitely see improvement if you're patient and don't drink again. Good luck!
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,435
Hi and welcome Liberty 
this is a great link on PAWs and gives some ideas on how to mitigate its effects.
http://digital-dharma.net/post-acute...r-immediately/
Most people read it says PAWs can last for up to 2 years and freak out, but most peoples experience is a much shorter timeframe
I had off days here and there but felt pretty good by 3 months.
D
this is a great link on PAWs and gives some ideas on how to mitigate its effects.
http://digital-dharma.net/post-acute...r-immediately/
Most people read it says PAWs can last for up to 2 years and freak out, but most peoples experience is a much shorter timeframe
I had off days here and there but felt pretty good by 3 months.
D
The opposite of addiction is connection.
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Oregon, USA
Posts: 373
Originally Posted by Liberty30 
Hey guys,
Iv just recently joined the sobriety community. Iv been drinking for 7 years. Iv tried multiple times to quit. Failed. But not this time! I believe I might have kindled. My PAWS Symptoms are a nightmare to say the least. No memory. Confusion. Anxiety. Cognitively impaired.
Can anyone relate? How long does the brain take to recover from this, is it permanent?
Kind regards,
Lib.
Iv just recently joined the sobriety community. Iv been drinking for 7 years. Iv tried multiple times to quit. Failed. But not this time! I believe I might have kindled. My PAWS Symptoms are a nightmare to say the least. No memory. Confusion. Anxiety. Cognitively impaired.
Can anyone relate? How long does the brain take to recover from this, is it permanent?
Kind regards,
Lib.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,776
PAWS is irritating as hell but it does get better, the longer you're sober. I had cognitive problems too up until about a year sober, but I don't mean that I was in hell for the entire year. I had good days and bad, but they passed and things got better.
I don't know if it would help with PAWS, but to strengthen your sobriety, I suggest you start practicing gratitude every day. I had a hard time being grateful at first but stuck with it and it soon became easier to find things to be grateful for. I also find that it makes me happier. I also find that being kind to others makes me feel good.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/o...pier.html?_r=0
I don't know if it would help with PAWS, but to strengthen your sobriety, I suggest you start practicing gratitude every day.
I had a hard time being grateful at first but stuck with it and it soon became easier to find things to be grateful for. I also find that it makes me happier. I also find that being kind to others makes me feel good. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/o...pier.html?_r=0
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