Recovery · Recovery
PAWS Tracker — Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome
The 6–18 month window where mood, sleep, and cognition swing — tracked weekly
Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome — the 6–18 month window where mood, sleep, energy, and cognition swing wildly as the nervous system recalibrates. Naming PAWS keeps clients from interpreting a bad week as personal failure.
Weekly PAWS check
Week
Mood 0–10
Sleep 0–10
Cravings 0–10
Cognitive fog
What helped
My typical PAWS window (research: 6–18 months out)
What I do NOT do during a PAWS wave (change jobs, end relationships, quit meetings)
It's not you, it's your neurochemistry
PAWS waves peak and pass. The rule during a wave: change nothing major, add support, wait 72 hours before any big decision.