Identifying PAWS Symptoms in an Orange County Drug Rehab

In a previous post I mentioned Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome , and I gave some statistics on the likelihood of recovering addicts developing the multitude of symptoms. These symptoms are seen at our Orange County drug rehab sometimes.

Lets break PAWS down: Post, means 'after;' Acute, means 'sudden or severe;' Withdrawal, means 'termination;' and Syndrome, means a 'group of symptoms.' The group of symptoms of addictive disease are those that occur as a result of abstinence from addictive chemicals.

What are the Symptoms?

They can be any or all of the following:

• Inability to think clearly which includes an inability to concentrate, an inability to solve problems and rigid, repetitive thinking,
• Memory problems,
• Emotional overreaction or numbness,
• Sleep disturbances,
• Difficulty in managing stress and day-to-day life circumstances,
• Depression, and/or
• Anxiety.

If you are reading this post and struggling with these symptoms, it is important to bring them under control as soon as possible. They might not just go away on their own. Start talking to your physician, an addiction specialist, or even a therapist -- someone who understands addiction and post acute withdrawal.