P.A.W.S. - what are they, cure, duration

I didn't even know the full form of PAWS. I never had even a mild panic attack ever in my life. When I started nofap, I started getting two panic attacks on average per day. I got all the tests out there and everything was perfect with me physically. Then I came to these forums and saw so many similar stories of people going through more or less same things. Coincidence?

 

On the other hand, PMO can be worse because it may take you longer to realize the damage, if you are even able to associate PMO with the symptoms of an addiction and, besides, you can abuse it to a greater extent, given that you don't need to spend your money.

Regarding the realization and association of PMO with the symptoms, it took me around 7 years. Had I known before, it wouldn't have gone so bad certainly.

 

That's terrible! I hope you're better now!

Since it is post acute withdrawal symptoms, when does it begin usually? What is the differnet to acute withdrawal symptoms?

 

In my case, I've experienced a lot of acute withdrawals pain since I've tried to quit pmo altogether(about 9years). As one of a post above said: I never realized the damages till I got longer streaks(>90). It felt like I went to the darkest hole in my life and I could never imagined any sort of...
Brief , longest withdrawals from paws were disproportionated body parts such as legs, knees, lower back, torso and all the other paws symptoms. I've read they are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.

 

On the other hand, PMO can be worse because it may take you longer to realize the damage, if you are even able to associate PMO with the symptoms of an addiction and, besides, you can abuse it to a greater extent, given that you don't need to spend your money.

Regarding the realization and association of PMO with the symptoms, it took me around 7 years. Had I known before, it wouldn't have gone so bad certainly.

 

What do you mean by grow out of addiction ?

 

I wonder how fried their brains would be at that point.

 

Hey I'm a 30M. From my current symptoms I think I will be able to join this elitist club in 26 days since I'm currently on day 64 and have been in flatline mode since day 1 or even longer (if this counts).

I experience the following symptoms:

• dizzy / lightheaded feeling (It feels like my feet are not firmly on the ground, although no physician found something wrong with my sense of balance, blood, brain),
• constant visual snow/static,
• derealization and anxiety attacks,
• often head pressure on the front right of my brain (nothing wrong on brain scans),
• migraine aura attacks without headaches,
• most of the time low energy,
• phases of insomnia (but not constant).

Over the past few weeks I may have noticed a slight improvement of the dizzy feeling, but I'm not sure.
I have been addicted to porn since 10 years, but what really "destroyed" me was sexting in the last 4 years (there were days were I did nothing else just sexting). My pants feel quite dead most of the time, but strangely I do not have ED with my girlfriend. But I feel very dizzy after O, that's why I put sex on hold for the last 26 days.

I wish you all the strength you need to enjoy the present day and a better tomorrow.

 

This all sounds very scary but thank you to everyone for the invaluable information.

 

I am a medical cannabis user (chronic sleep disorder) and don't touch alcohol or tobacco. I find it has helped with low mood also during my reboots. Like everything though it has to be taken in moderation. Even something that is good for you can still take you down the rabbit hole if you allow it to.

 

Could be because years of endless searching for porn alone is hard enough to stop. But I still think orgasms are the worse of the three(pmo).

 

Also, I think in this addiction, variety is endless. In substance addiction, there is only escalation. But here, along with escalation, there is so much variety to keep you hooked. And by variety, I mean variety of all manners i.e. women, types, stories, scenes etc etc.

 

That's right and it messes both with your sexuality and can give you a social experience (an illusion that replaces real social interaction).

I had a time where I was quite experimental with drugs and I smoked cannabis way too often. But cannabis was the only thing that could hook me for some time. And maybe alcohol. When I think that I even tried coke and didn't like it, while other guys just need this first intake to experience a high that's so strong and unique that they get addicted from trying again and again to experience this high another time ... I think I was just lucky.

They say, the person doesn't choose the drug but the drug chooses the person. Something to think about .. And I wouldn't downplay substance abuse. I've been addicted to porn for more than a decade. It's not something that I would do daily, but when I let go myself it's several times a week with sessions up to 10 hours. How would this addiction look like if it wasn't porn but a substance? I guess if it was cannabis it could be better or it could be much worse (when it affects my psyche very much). With alcohol, cocain or pills or something like that: no doubt, with such an addiction career I would be really sick, I mean REALLY.

Recovery for porn addicts IS difficult. But at least it's only about changing habits. It's not as if we would have taken literally poison in our body for years. Alcoholics can die from withdrawal.

 

I wish our mentors told us about it.

Man, life's so hard.

This is kind of discouraging to me. I suspect at that stage, pass 14 months, one cannot say he's cured because had a good week. At least, do you have the intuition of a future, total recovery?