When someone stops drinking or using drugs, withdrawal symptoms appear, along with what many describe as a hangover of the mind. In cases of alcoholism, these symptoms can last from a couple of days to a week or more. Marat Aginyan, a psychiatrist and narcologist who founded Sober One, a scientifically informed rehabilitation program for addicts, notes that after a period of withdrawal, a post-withdrawal phase can develop.
A person may notice a decline in work performance, clouded thinking, and a drop in mood. Irritability, anxiety, and depression become common. This situation is identified as post-abstinence syndrome PAS, or subacute withdrawal. It reflects a temporary breakdown in brain function among individuals with addiction and can persist for months. For alcohol specifically, PAS can last from six to twenty-four months. Common signs include reduced attention, memory and thinking difficulties, irritability, and anxiety. Additional symptoms often feature compulsive thoughts about use, urges, apathy, a sense of meaninglessness, sleep disturbances, and coordination problems, according to the medical professional.
Research indicates that subacute withdrawal brings about structural changes in the amygdala, a brain region tied to memory and emotions. These changes help explain the emotional volatility and lasting impact on behavior observed during PAS.
In earlier decades, scientists proposed that once the brain is in a balanced state, certain mechanisms can help restore it to its normal function. Yet addiction disrupts that balance, producing mood swings that swing from good to bad. Substances often push the mood curve downward, so a person stops feeling good and never returns to a previous high. The brain’s response to addictive substances can keep this overactivity in the amygdala long after use ceases, sometimes for months, explains the clinician.
According to Aginyan, the most effective route for PAS remains sobriety. Restarting substance use undermines progress and resets the recovery timeline, making improvement harder to sustain.
For those seeking understanding about how someone in early sobriety might feel, how a slump might occur, how to prevent it, and what steps to take if it happens, a detailed discussion by Aginyan on SocialBites.ca offers helpful insights.
This information focuses on the lived experience of quitting and the science behind post-abstinence changes, aiming to support people in navigating the early years of recovery with clarity and realism.