Post Acute Withdrawal

Hi Melissa, Thank you for reaching out and connecting! First and foremost, congratulations! What you're doing is heroic and healthy. Post Acute Withddrawal (PAW) can last up to the first year of being clean and sober. Your body, mind and spirit continue to experience healing and a high degree of change. The key to managing PAW and the first year cliean in general is to have tons of support. When we go through things alone it's just not manageable.

Your body continues to detox. The first 30 days are the worst but the process continues. This is why nutrition, hydration, and exercise are so important. I remind folks that everything they tried to numb when they were using is going to resurface. Dealing with emotions is uaually the tougheest part. My briothers and sisters in the hals of Narcotics Anonymous are brilliant in their ability to teach ways of coping.

I highly recomend journaling - get everything that's on the hamster wheel in your head out in the open - things are more manageable and mre subject to change that way.

People often fear that they have done brain damage from their use. This is rarely the case. I would predict you'll be feeling better, but I urge you to keep investing in yourself. My bias is that the best investment we can make in recovery is to have fellowship and people who will hold us accountable for our goals.

It will get better. Keep going! If I can answer other questions, contact me anytime!

Best,

Jim