Post-acute withdrawal syndrome symptoms, or PAWS, are the first and most difficult challenges in recovery. These intense symptoms can occur early and often in the detox and preliminary rehab phases. This is why enduring drug and alcohol withdrawal feels impossible when attempted alone. However, reversing physical dependency in conjunction with medical assistance helps you overcome these challenges early in recovery. With professional treatment as your foundation, here’s how to better manage post-acute withdrawal syndrome through the early stages of rehab.
How Do You Combat Relapse Temptation?
The most important battle plan against post-acute withdrawal syndrome is to implement the relapse prevention techniques you’re taught in rehab. This sets the tone for the rest of your recovery by ensuring your guard is always up, regardless of the situation. All of the following effective ways to help you avoid relapse are progressively linked to one another.
Changing your influences means changing the group of friends that encourage substance use in your life. This is perhaps the hardest, yet necessary thing to do when you enter rehab. If you continue to be around peers who indulge in drug or alcohol use, your risk for relapse is sky-high. Almost as difficult as ridding yourself of those influences is replacing them with lifelong friends you can depend on. Thankfully, Spero Recovery is brimming with trustworthy doctors and like-minded patients who can be the kind of friends you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
This refers to the importance of changing the places you go which may encourage substance or alcohol use in the context of alcohol addiction treatment in Colorado. For example, if you’re trying to recover from alcoholism, going to a bar only fuels the likelihood of you relapsing. This requires you to make changes in your lifestyle choices and activities by avoiding such places that can hinder your recovery. While changing your influences helps you change the places you go, it takes conscious effort to avoid substance-friendly circumstances.
One way to stop going places that encourage relapse is to get a hobby to replace those habit-encouraging circumstances. If you stop doing something or going somewhere without replacing that void, it’s only a matter of time before you relapse. The difficult part is addiction takes up so much of your time and money that you may not even know what your likes are.
This is where professional therapy comes in by helping you discover the real you beyond the addiction. Individualized treatment from our dedicated team helps you overcome these challenges in recovery by discovering your life desires. Our individualized addiction treatment programs take you on an incredible journey of self-discovery that helps you gain a new perspective on life.
One of the biggest mistakes people make, especially early in recovery, is not having an open line of communication with their therapist. This means contacting your therapist when you feel the urge to relapse and being completely open and honest about your struggle.
Many people fail to open up to the extent they should for a variety of reasons. These reasons range from lack of trust or not wanting to be a burden. It’s vital to understand you’re never a burden. Your family and therapists want you to openly communicate the extent of your substance battles.
How Does Spero Recovery Help You Prepare for the Challenges Ahead?
There’s no sugar-coating the fact that recovery is a long road that takes complete dedication to achieve full sobriety. Yet, Spero Recovery makes that journey easier and enjoyable in many aspects through our treatment model. Here are a variety of ways Spero Recovery prepares you for the challenges of overcoming addiction:
One of the best ways our doctors prepare you for the challenges ahead is through the 12-step method we utilize in all of our treatment programs. Despite 12-step programs being a common implementation for continued sobriety after rehab, these principles are the greatest foundation of rehab. The 12-step process provides a meticulously structured approach to handle any of the challenges in recovery you may face. You’ll be glad you were properly equipped with a dependable relapse-prevention structure in place.
Every successful recovery takes complete transparency from both you and your doctors. Doctors achieve this by laying out what you can expect from treatment at every stage of the recovery process. This includes informing you on the extent of withdrawal symptoms you may experience as well as the treatments we utilize to counter these withdrawals. You’ll have complete peace knowing you’ll never be surprised at any progressive stage of rehab.
The first phase of recovery requires completing one of our thorough detox treatment programs. It’s important to note that true detox cannot occur without professional aid and monitoring. This allows you to cleanse your body of drug dependency and balance your neuronic frequencies. Once this is accomplished, you are equipped with a clear path to excel at every stage of rehab.
You can’t be prepared for recovery without complete access to our dedicated team in your most dire times of need. We also understand your greatest addiction battles can happen anytime outside of business hours. That’s why we give you the resources to stay in touch with a treatment specialist as much as possible. You’ll have the comfort and peace of mind to reach out to a medical professional in some capacity during ng your most dire moments of need.
Achieving and maintaining sobriety doesn’t happen without having a full-proof battle plan that includes mental training and relapse prevention tools, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy. The greatest tool to have in rehab and post-rehab is strong mental fortitude and relapse prevention techniques. At Spero Recovery you’ll receive nothing less than the best teachings in both regards. These state-of-the-art training methods are tools you’ll keep with you for the rest of your life.
Understanding Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS)
Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) usually occurs during the second stage of detox. This typically happens as the brain is working to recalibrate after experiencing the effects of active addiction. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome can last for quite a while, but the symptoms begin to subside as people continue to avoid using drugs or alcohol.
Some Commonly Occurring Symptoms of PAWS
The symptoms of post-acute withdrawal syndrome range in severity depending on the type of substance a person was using and how heavily they were doing so. But, some of the common symptoms of PAWS include the following:
- Apathy
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Panic attacks
- Loss of motivation
- Lack of enthusiasm
- Concentration problems
- Lack of impulse control
- Substance cravings
- Memory problems
- Depression
Again, the severity and types of symptoms people may experience during post-acute withdrawal syndrome will vary. But, in any case, the truth is that PAWS can be a major challenge for those in recovery. This is why it is so important to get support and guidance while navigating the recovery process.
Other Common Challenges People Face in Recovery
You’ll find most of the challenges and hurdles in recovery are associated with withdrawal symptoms and habitual variables. However, merely leaving it at that doesn’t tell the whole story. Here is a brief overview of the specific challenges in recovery you’re almost sure to encounter.
A common theme throughout recovery is the struggle to overcome the desire to indulge in substances. These urges are directly related to craving the euphoria of getting high. All withdrawals, addictive urges, and associated desires are the first things therapists seek to alter in recovery. While urges are common in the early to middle stages of recovery, we can help you get an upper hand on those impulsive struggles early.
The dire need to make new friends outside substance use circles doesn’t mean the task is easy. Many people struggle to form new bonds when those former relationships are all they know, causing many to relapse.
Spero Recovery made provisions for these social struggles by requiring a high standard of personability from our treatment specialists. This provides the trustworthiness, comfort, and confidence you need to form the new bonds necessary in individual or group therapy.
We all lack self-control and discipline in some areas. Unfortunately, addiction is an impulsive response to a chemically dependent mind, further diminishing your self-control and discipline capabilities. Thankfully, your self-control and self-discipline can be rebuilt by reinforcing your mental fortitude through professional training. Our 12-step foundation for treatment provides all the accountability structure necessary to sustain independent sobriety. Reach out to a sympathetic representative to learn more about our full-proof treatment structure approach to therapy.
When you starve your body of pleasure-center-stimulating substances, you will likely experience neuronic indifference. This comes in the form of unexplainable sadness that could even border depression. Don’t let this challenge discourage you as medical prescriptions and support can make this challenge easier to overcome. Rest assured, this symptom is often a short-term side effect of the detox process.
A big part of rehab consists of accepting the fact that there may be setbacks. That’s not to say you are given a reason to have setbacks and should strive not to. Though ting relapse is the primary goal of treatment, it can be one of the learning experience challenges in recovery. It’s important to understand that relapse doesn’t mean you failed. It’s your response to relapsing that matters.
We Can Help You Address PAWS and Other Challenges
What is usually a painstaking process at other recovery centers, Spero Recover makes it as bearable and enjoyable as possible. Patients typically report significant stress relief, happiness, enjoyment, and most importantly, progress after they enroll in one of our treatment programs. You can be one of the innumerable success stories of our unparalleled treatment programs. That story begins now by reaching out to one of our substance abuse treatment specialists. We’ll help you pave the road to a memorable recovery journey you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
