Recovery or sobriety causes a lot of stress, particularly in the beginning. Post acute withdrawal (PAW) results from the damage the alcoholic has taken to his or her nervous system combined with the stress of having to cope with life without alcohol.

Post acute withdrawal will set in three to six months after the user has taken his or her last drink. The actual recovery from nervous system damage from alcohol takes 6 to 24 months after the drinking has ceased.

The most obvious symptom that PAW has set in is the inability to solve what would usually be considered a simple problem. The other symptoms of PAW that contributed to the inability to solve this simple problem would include:

• Problems with managing stress


• Inability to sleep or sleep disorders


• Lack of physical coordination


• Memory problems


• Emotional over reactions


• Inability to think clearly

Emotional over reaction is a big one. Any alcoholic in recovery will notice the "economy sized emotions" right away. Everything seems larger than life. The inability to sleep is very common too, and the length of time of this sleep disturbance varies by the individual.

The combination of these symptoms lead to lowered self-esteem. The recovering alcoholic will feel embarrassed, he or she will feel like they are not themselves and very out of sorts and this can lead to the loss of self esteem and even a fear of failure to be able to handle the upcoming challenges of life.

Post acute withdrawal is a physical symptom of what is hopefully temporary damage to the nervous system of the drinker, so it stands to reason that when the nervous system is healed, the symptoms will disappear.

In some rehabs they will warn the recovering alcoholic that when you get sober, for the first six months when you suffer from depression, don't look for external reasons for the depression. The depression is also a physical problem that will subside over a period of time as the body heals.

When an alcoholic is starting on the road to recovery, it is very apparent that making the extra effort to take care of his or her health, and keeping stress to a minimum will aid in hopefully a shorter recovery period from the physical symptoms resulting from damage to the nervous system caused by alcohol.