Acronym for Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, the phase of addiction recovery that follows immediate withdrawal, when the effects of the body’s physical detox are
uncomfortable at best, and life
threatening at worst. This can last for one to three weeks depending on the
individual, the substance he or she was using, quantities and frequency of use, and the length of the addiction. Post acute withdrawal symptom is typically flagged as the largest hurdle for addicts to clear in the course of early recovery, and ideally entails medical supervision paraphrased from the Ventura Recovery Center website.