How To Spot The Symptoms Of Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome

To make a lasting recovery, drug addicts need to understand and be able to recognize the symptoms of Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, or PAWS

. Though PAWS is responsible for more relapses and failed recoveries than any other condition, most treatment facilities and rehabilitation programs do little to mitigate its frustrating and crippling effects on recovering addicts. PAWS symptoms are normal and even expected for addicts who have completed detoxification and overcome the obstacles of their initial withdrawal. However, the ways in which addicts experience these symptoms are highly individual, so it can be difficult to clinicians and patients to recognize exactly when they occur. To maintain clean and sober lives, recovering substance abusers must learn to constantly self-reflect and monitor their behavior patterns for signs of this dangerous condition.

PAWS typically sets in as soon as addicts complete detoxification. Detox is a painful but necessary five to fourteen-day process of purging their bodies of drugs. The symptoms can affect the bodies, intellects, and emotions of its sufferers, and they range from mild to severe. They can even cause addicts to abusively self-medicate in an effort to relieve their pain, thereby continuing their cycles of addiction. Some of the most common symptoms are as follows:

Physical Problems:

Those familiar with PAWS often refer to its sufferers as dry drunks because of their apparent lack of motor skills. The visible, physiological symptoms of this condition include impaired balance, poor depth perception, and chronic dizziness. Even when they are still sober, recovering addicts with PAWS may stagger and stumble as they walk, speak with slurred speech, or have trouble seeing properly. These problems often make an addicts recovery more stressful, as many people who observe these symptoms assume him or her to still be actively using.

Mental Impairments:

Although the physical signs of PAWS are the most easily recognizable, many recovering addicts say that the mental aspects of the condition are the worst. People coming out of detoxification often experience difficulties thinking clearly or performing simple mental tasks. An addict may feel constantly cluttered and disorganized, and these feelings can lead to panic and an utter inability to deal with daily stressors. Compounded, these symptoms can make it extremely difficult for PAWS sufferers to positively engage their treatments and establish new, drug-free lives.

Emotional Difficulties:

PAWS endangers many recovering addicts with its emotional symptoms. Many sufferers have reported severe depression and even suicidal thoughts. However, many of the same people have also reported emotional numbness. These kinds of severe mood swings produce damaging thought patterns which can make it nearly impossible for patients to take advantage of their treatments. Reality-based therapies, in particular, rely on recovering addicts abilities to engage other people in emotionally productive ways and form meaningful relationships.

For drug addicts to make lasting recoveries, Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome treatment needs to begin immediately after detox, but it also needs to continue for the rest of their lives. Most of the symptoms are reduced or gone completely after a few months, but some have been known to last for years. Good rehabilitation centers will therefore provide support groups, additional counseling, and other forms of ongoing therapy for addicts who have completed their initial treatments.

by: Shrafty Tomlinson

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