I wanted to comment on the process of withdrawal: with anything (food, alcohol, coffee, nicotine, drugs, love, sugar, etc.) our bodies react to things in a chemical way, due in large part to the fact that all those things mentioned above are chemicals. When we repeatedly put a chemical like sugar into our bodies and then suddenly remove it, we withdrawal (obviously on a much smaller scale). Thing is, the human body takes time to readapt to its new chemical state. We NEED to know this and we need to have patience with the “process” our bodies and minds must go through. Love and the high we get from a PoA is ALSO a chemical reaction and when it’s removed, our physical body and mental state need time to readapt to their new state and repair from the old one where there was obviously an imbalance to begin with.

Withdrawal is the body’s way of re-balancing; it’s the mind and body’s way of going back to equilibrium.

I know it’s hard, but this is the time to have patience with yourself. This is the time to wait. It’s incredibly hard for LAs to wait because we want immediate gratification. Like a child, we want what we want and we want it NOW. But adults understand the need to wait, and that’s what recovery is about– becoming an adult. Adults understand that deferred gratification brings joy. That blowing the pay check week to week gets us no where, but saving our money, offers security for those times of economic uncertainty.

Remember too that withdrawal is the first step in HEALING. And that after it, comes a sense of calm and an ability to think more clearly.

So, wait. Be patient with yourself. Don’t allow the “trick” of withdrawal to lead you to believe you will always feel this miserable. You will NOT. The body heals itself, but needs the time to do so.

I am currently going through a withdrawal myself from caffeine and sugar. I have to do this from time to time–detox and purge my system– because it eventually causes panic attacks and headaches if I have too much (kids’ birthday cakes with all that icing and a coffee to boot is a dangerous combination for me!). More importantly, if I have five cups of joe on Sunday and then have only one cup on Monday, I forget that this will cause a mini withdrawal. I become cranky, angry, impatience,  and sad, and I don’t know why! It ends up interfering with my mood and the way I view the world. So many people do not realize that coffee and sugar are not as harmless as they may seem. If you are withdrawing from a PoA, STAY AWAY FROM THIS STUFF. The same goes for alcohol and drugs. These substances can complicate or prolong a difficult withdrawal.

Read more:http://laarecovery.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=drawal&thread=7740&page=1#ixzz11TnvIYOe