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When it comes to getting clean, most are well-acquainted with the idea that there is a necessary detox phase that must happen to get the remaining drugs out of your system. Many do not realize that detox is a two-step process consisting of the acute withdrawal stage and post-acute withdrawal syndrome or PAWS for short. What happens in the acute withdrawal stage are the physical sensations we most often associate with withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, headaches, muscle aches, or sweating. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome follows the acute stage and has more psychological effects than physical. How Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome Feels In PAWS, your brain tries to reorient itself to functioning without the influx of drugs it's been used to operating with. Therefore, this withdrawal phase includes mood swings, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, cravings, irritability, or lack of focus. These symptoms occur since the brain is struggling to stabilize and correct the resulting chemical imbalances from previous drug abuse. These are all temporary symptoms that come and go, but the PAWS phase lasts different lengths for everyone depending on their bodies and the types of drugs they were addicted to, lasting up to several months for some. Managing PAWS Symptoms Taking excellent care of yourself and making use of proactive interventions is necessary to help you avoid relapse during this time. Using essential self-care habits like eating well, getting enough sleep, surrounding yourself with positive, supportive people, and exercising will do you a favor during this phase and the rest of your recovery. Since you will experience many emotional swings during this time, it’s important to be sure you have appointments lined up with your care team of mental health professionals, so you can constructively talk about what you’re going through. Talking through your feelings will help you feel supported through this time. Attending meetings and being open about what you’re experiencing with loved ones will help alleviate some of the heaviness from you solely carrying your discomfort. Lastly, it is imperative to avoid triggering situations or people as you are more sensitive to stressful stimuli during this time and trying to recover. Post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS) is the second phase of withdrawals, as the brain balances itself after drug abuse. It is a time to focus on your healing and recovery and when you should focus on putting your mental and emotional needs first to feel secure in your sobriety in the future. If you or a loved one is struggling to get or remain sober, call Avalon Malibu.  We specialize in treating substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. We are passionate about providing our clients with the support they need and finding a treatment that will help them lead happier, more balanced lives. For more information on how we can help you achieve your goals, call (888) 958-7511.

June marks the celebration of Pride Month, and it is a time meant to celebrate and recognize the equal rights and opportunities of LGBTQ individuals. It serves to negate any stigma or discrimination against the LGBTQ community and instead brings forth feelings of pride and acceptance. Though a time for celebration, Pride Month also brings attention to the disparities that exist among the LGBTQ community, including the increased rate of mental health conditions and substance abuse among the community’s members.

Inside all of us resides a secret weapon for healing and fostering a positive mindset, known as gratitude. When you practice gratitude, you allow yourself to notice and feel appreciation for all you have in life, not limited to material possessions but encompassing your relationships, opportunities, experiences, and feelings. Gratitude is a powerful tool to utilize in recovery because it offers a simple solution to combating any negative thinking or emotions that may fuel the urge to relapse.

Decluttering, organizing, making your bed, and keeping a clean living space seem unrelated to your mental health, but all of these things positively affect your mental state. Using these simple cleaning practices to give yourself an easy win every day will boost your mood and motivate you to succeed in other areas of your life. Sometimes engaging differently in the little things of daily life can profoundly impact your self-esteem and worldview. If you aren’t convinced of the power these simple measures can have, see below how these habits can provide a shift in your mental health.

In the world of recovery, hitting “rock bottom” has become somewhat of a right of passage to get someone struggling with addiction to seriously consider getting help. However, is hitting bottom, or reaching your lowest personal point in addiction, truly a necessary step to precede getting help? The fact is that addiction is easier to treat when treated earlier, so getting help before hurting yourself or others is a much better option before waiting to hit rock bottom.

Addressing and overcoming an addiction to drugs or alcohol is a taxing experience, and the ongoing process will have many ups and downs. It is essential that each person find their own methods of maintaining motivation throughout the process and maintain sobriety after one’s treatment program has ended. Motivation is a critical part of every step of recovery and helps keep each person moving to reach their next goal or milestone in their sobriety. However, it is also common for an individual to harbor some resentments or reluctance to participate in a recovery program or be less than enthusiastic about many therapeutic approaches. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is an approach designed to help an individual become better equipped to move through a recovery program successfully and find a personal stake in recovery and reason for achieving sobriety.

We now recognize that cigarette smoking is not the harmless pastime that it was once touted to be. In the world of addiction recovery, it is even more important to keep a close eye on the use of nicotine and cigarette smoking. With cigarette smoking, a common companion to substance abuse, many entering into addiction recovery may think it is too overwhelming to give up smoking and drugs all at once. However, the benefits of putting down cigarettes while in addiction recovery should be a consideration.

Rehabilitation programs do an excellent job of orienting you to a daily routine that keeps you accountable for your commitment to substance abuse recovery. After you’ve left the comfort and safety of a facility, finding a new routine is one of the main keys to maintaining the success you’ve achieved from treatment and continuing your journey toward sober living. The emotions one feels in these early days of recovery are anything but easy, and having a plan of what to do when painful emotions surface helps reduce any chances of backsliding. Finding the right approach for you when effectively managing the turbulent emotions in early recovery takes time. Everyone will have their unique formula of what works best for them. If you don’t know your preferred coping mechanisms, the list below details some good places to start calming any anxious thoughts about substances that arise.

The SODA technique may be a beneficial tool to implement into your daily life if you struggle with anxiety. This method is used to reframe a situation or negative thought, and it’s a very simple way to bring in mindfulness and de-escalate anxious thoughts and feelings surrounding a given situation (and no, it doesn’t have anything to do with drinking something!) SODA refers to the acronym stop, observe, detach and affirm, and practicing SODA helps to bring the out-of-proportion and exaggerated thoughts typical to anxiety back into a more balanced view. By following and practicing each step, you can build more awareness of your inner thoughts, evaluate your mindset and create a more positive, optimistic attitude. Thoughts are an extremely powerful component of what we feel and how we behave, so it is through changing your thoughts that you can ultimately change any behaviors that do not serve your greatest good.

Maybe you’ve never heard of the terms internal or external locus of control, but you likely identify with either believing you are responsible for making life happen for yourself, or that life happens to you. In essence, that is what internal versus external locus of control means, and knowing which you identify with can explain your actions and reactions in life. Adopting the belief that you make things happen will positively affect your mental health while believing that things that happen to you will have the opposite effect.

If you or someone you love engages in self-injurious behavior, a mental illness could be the underlying cause. Finding the right help to stop self-harming and addressing any influential factors like mental illness or substance abuse is necessary since the individual lacks the impulse control to effectively stop themselves from continuing this behavior and hurting themselves.

Everyone experiences days when emotions are heavy, and they feel the need to unload the stress that is overwhelming them. However, how often this occurs and how they unpack their emotions also affects the emotional well-being of loved ones around them. Understanding the difference between positive venting and emotional dumping is important to maintaining healthy, emotionally sound relationships.