What is Psychology?

Answers to Your Psychology Questions

  • Disorders & Syndromes
  • Mental Health
  • Definitions
  • Love & Relationship
  • Experimental Psychology
  • Child Psychology

What are the Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?

Alcohol can be enormously addictive, and although most of us are able to enjoy a few social drinks once a week with no ill effects, for those who have a serious alcohol problem, abstaining from liquor is almost impossible without suffering from nasty side effects.

As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation if you purchase products or services through the links provided. This is done at no additional cost to you, and supports our work.

Find the right therapist for you

With over 25,000 licensed therapists, BetterHelp has one that fits your needs.
Therapists on BetterHelp are licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists (PhD / PsyD), licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT), licensed clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW), or licensed professional therapists (LPC).

So what are typical alcohol withdrawal symptoms and how long are the symptoms likely to last?

Some people can quit drinking without experiencing any side effects. These people wake up one day, decide not to touch another drop, and are absolutely fine.

Sadly, most alcoholics are not so lucky and end up suffering from severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

What are the Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal?

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms vary greatly in severity and range from fairly mild to extremely severe. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are both physical and psychological.

They might last for a few days; or they might last for much longer; everyone is different and it is very difficult to predict how each person will react when withdrawing from alcohol.

In all cases, the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal are not pleasant, which is why many long term alcoholics find it so difficult to stop drinking and frequently fall off the wagon as a result.

Mild psychological alcohol withdrawal symptoms include anxiety and depression, volatile mood swings, nervousness and the “shakes” as the brain slowly learns to do without the alcohol.

Recovering alcoholics might also be very irritable and excitable. Physically, the patient will probably suffer from headaches, nausea and vomiting.

They might have trouble sleeping and sweat a lot. They might also suffer from tremors and heart palpitations and possibly have dilated pupils and appear very pale.

Delirium tremens, otherwise known as DTs is one of the best known symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and it affects around one on twenty recovering alcoholics. The DTs include shakes, delirium, and confusion.

In more severe cases of alcohol withdrawal, the patient may experience hallucinations, extreme agitation, blackouts, convulsions, and a fever.

It is also possible to become severely dehydrated and develop physical complications from alcohol withdrawal, and in some instances, alcohol withdrawal without medical assistance can even prove to be fatal, which is why it is never sensible to go “cold turkey” if you have been drinking heavily for many years.

What is the Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Timeline?

The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal will normally begin 3-8 hours after the last drink, or once the effect of the alcohol begins to wear off. The average alcohol withdrawal symptoms duration is between five and seven days, although this can vary.

However, even after the side effects of alcohol withdrawal have faded away, the patient will still experience cravings for alcohol and will never truly be over their addiction.

In all cases, if the person has been a heavy and habitual drinker for many years, it is never sensible to stop drinking suddenly as the effects can be difficult to endure without medical help.

There are various medications available that can significantly counteract the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, so it is essential to seek professional advice before attempting to give up the drink.

Related Articles:

  1. What is Alcohol Induced Dementia? Symptoms and Treatment What is alcohol induced dementia? Alcoholic dementia, also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, is the result of many years heavy drinking. Alcohol is a drug, and like any drug, it affects the brain and nervous system. In the short term, a heavy drinker may suffer from poor judgment and memory problems,...
  2. What is the Standard Korsakoff’s Syndrome Treatment? What is the Standard Korsakoff’s syndrome treatment and what exactly is the disorder? Korsakoff’s syndrome is a type of brain disorder caused by excessive alcohol consumption over a long period of time. The disorder is common amongst long-term alcoholics and one of the characteristics is short term memory loss, which...
  3. Is alcoholism Hereditary? Alcoholism is an uncontrollable compulsion to drink alcohol, to the point where alcohol controls your life and ruins your relationships. An addiction to alcohol can be caused by many things, including a stressful lifestyle and certain mental health disorders, but if you have a relative who is a known alcoholic,...

Filed Under: Drugs & Addiction

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Topics

  • Disorders & Syndromes
  • Drugs & Addiction
  • Mental Health
    • Fear & Anxiety
  • Neuroscience
    • Attention & Concentration
    • Memory
    • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
    • Animals
    • Behavior
    • Child Psychology
    • Definitions
    • Education
    • Experimental Psychology
    • Famous Psychologists
    • Gender Difference
    • Language & Communication
    • Love & Relationship
    • Nutrition
    • Popular Psychology
  • Therapy

Recent Posts

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Why Do People Cut Themselves?

Can You Learn While You Sleep?

Is Herpes Linked to Dementia?

Stay updated on Facebook Follow WhatisPsychology on Twitter

Affiliate Links – Advertising Disclosure

If you purchase a product or service linked from this site, we may receive an "affiliate commission". We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising" and also in accordance to amazon associates programme operating agreement.

Amazon
The owner of this website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Copyright © · What is Psychology? · Privacy Policy · About · Archives · Contact us