Alcohol withdrawal refers to a group of symptoms that may occur from suddenly stopping the use of alcohol after chronic or prolonged ingestion.
Not everyone who stops drinking experiences withdrawal symptoms, but most people who have been drinking for a long period of time, or drinking frequently, or drink heavily when they do drink, will experience some form of withdrawal symptoms if they stop drinking suddenly.
There is no way to predict how any individual will respond to quitting. If you plan to stop drinking and you have been drinking for years, or if you drink heavily when you do drink, or even if you drink moderately but frequently, you should consult a medical professional before going "cold turkey."
Withdrawal Symptoms:
Mild to moderate psychological symptoms:
Feeling of jumpiness or nervousness
Feeling of shakiness
Anxiety
Irritability or easily excited
Emotional volatility, rapid emotional changes
Depression
Fatigue
Difficulty with thinking clearly
Bad dreams
Mild to moderate physical symptoms:
Headache - general, pulsating
Sweating, especially the palms of the hands or the face
Nausea
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Insomnia, sleeping difficulty
Paleness
Rapid heart rate (palpitations)
Eyes, pupils different size (enlarged, dilated pupils)
Skin, clammy
Abnormal movements
Tremor of the hands
Involuntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids
Severe symptoms:
A state of confusion and hallucinations (visual) -- known as delirium tremens
Agitation
Fever
Convulsions
"Black outs" -- when the person forgets what happened during the drinking episode
alcoholism.about.com
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"LOVE" devoid of self-gratification, is in essence, the will, to the greatest good...of another.
Hi Phil, How long can these symptoms last? More than a couple of months? I think I'm clear of the withdrawal symptoms, but Robert's post has me thinking . . . Laura
Hi all, Not quite sure how this works, but from my experience (6years as a bottle a day drinker) and having had several relapses.
1)Problems start when your stomach can't cope with the alcohol required to calm you. 2) You try to drink, and eventually vomit, and then try to drink again and again.
3) By this time you are shaking, retching, unable to eat solids, and living on a diet of coke (cola) or any other liquid that is high in sugar that can keep you alive. Sleep is a NO GO.
4)Eventually the realisation sets in, stop drinking.
5) You stop. 8-12hours later you gibber like hell for 2 days.
6)You start feeling better.
Reccomendations during detox:
1) See your doctor 2) A GOOD MATE, to keep an eye on you. 3)Plenty of vitamin B6 (prevents a really bad side effect of DT's) 4)If in doubt, see your doctor)
Don't expect to sleep properly for 3 years.
good luck.
Chris.
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"Computer games don't affect kids; I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music." -- Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989"
