Please Help Me Understand...

  • Thread starter Thread starter WindieOne
  • Start date Start date
W

WindieOne

Guest
I've been reading about post acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS): confusion, dizziness, clumsiness, language difficulties, etc. I have a friend who is 90+ days post rehab for prescription drug (Vicodin & Xanax) addiction and over the past few weeks has started exhibiting all the same behaviors as before rehab. How do I differentiate between a relapse and PAWS? :confused: The PAWS symptoms I've read about sound just like my friend's behavior during while high...

Can someone clarify this for me?
 
PAWS does not manifest itself using the same symptoms as a relapse. If you suspect that your friend is having a relapse, he or she probably is.

PAWS is sneaky and it catches a lot of addicts by surprise. Depression is the most common symptom that I know of. Additionally, it usually doesn't take 90 days for the addict to suffer with PAWS. In most cases, it comes on shortly after detox and can last 6 months to a year and a half. The length of time it takes for it to dissapate seems to be proportional to the amount of time the addict was on drugs.

90 days seems to be a magic nuraber when it comes to addiction. If a person is going to relapse, they will probably do it within the first 90 days of recovery. A 90 day chip an addict can earn from NA or AA by staying clean is a milestone in their recovery. A year and a half clean are what addictionologists use as a measure to safely say that the disease is in full remission.

Good luck,

mk
 
I can speak from experience here on PAWS. I suffered from every single symptom and, pretty badly I might add. I have learned alot about it and am so releaved that I will (and have) get better. One of the things I learned early on is that while some of the symptoms go away, they can return. I have experienced that as well. When they do return, it is also a warning of a possible relapse.. So, I dont necessarily agree with the poster above me. PAWS is something that is not well known about in the AA rooms. In fact, some of the old timers never heard about it and thats only because our medical researchers are just now, getting the news out. Well, for the past several years anyway.
Marilyn
 
Back
Top