Once a person decides on a path of recovery, he or she may experience post-acute withdrawal, also known as protracted withdrawal, which is a condition common to all forms of substance abuse. It is an uncomfortable condition that can last for weeks or months, and makes maintaining sobriety extremely difficult. What Is Post-Acute Withdrawal? After a prolonged period of substance abuse, a drug user who enters recovery will go through three main phases: detox, acute withdrawal and post-acute withdrawal. During the detox period, it is important that the patient be supervised by trained medical professionals as some drugs can cause life-threatening conditions during the detox phase. The acute withdrawal phase lasts five days to five weeks, depending on the drug. This is the time when the body begins adjusting to life without the drug. Finally, the post-acute withdrawal phase occurs after the acute withdrawal phase and can last weeks or even months. During this time, a person in recovery may feel irritable, depressed, anxious, hostile, tired, have difficulty sleeping, have difficulty concentrating or may experience physical pains. These symptoms will continue until the body fully adjusts to being without the drug of choice. This often causes a great deal of...