how long do alcohol withdrawal symptoms last?

This was so helpful to me. I've been in and out of sobriety for several months and can't manage to get ten days without relapsing. Recently had the worst relapse yet and I am on day two of the withdrawals with almost the same symptoms as you !! It's comforting to read someone else has gone through it and it gets better. Heart palpitations, back pain, night sweats & nightmares, shaking, insomnia. It's been terrible!!! I'm final starting to feel a little bit okay and hope tomorrow will be better

I am doing the same thing.
Habitual drinker since the eighties.
Convincing myself I'm fine.
Being told by 3 Dr my iron levels are way elevated.
I once stopped for six weeks and thought that will sort it.
Can't sleep hot and cold.
Surgery dr very kind but offer nothing but grim warnings and get on with it by yourself.
It's my 6th day and I'm treating it with day and night nurse which helps but can't be a solution for ever.
Never got hangovers and feel crappier now than last week.
But I need to stop.
Just keep going I'm rooting for u and I don't know who you are!
Be kind to yourself we formed this habit so we can fix it

Sounds like me. I have those terrible head problems and feel like passing out. I am sober 7 days.

Yeah i have the same problem

They may be fine now but, just give it time. Alcohol steals away the vibrant life that The Lord intended us to have. I lost my brother a few years ago at 49 years old because of alcohol. His pancreas swelled and ruptured his colon. It was a horrible thing to witness what he went through. My prayer would be that no one would ever have to go through that. Alcohol withdrawals can be very dangerous...even worse than other drugs. Seek God first and professional help if needed.

In a word, no. I have tried it. I stopped drinking cold turkey twice in my life. Once for seven years. Once for four years. Each time I started drinking again, I began on the bottom wrung of the ladder...one glass of champagne on a special occasion, then just wine, then back to hard liquor. Now it is up to five nights a week. And I am on day two of alcohol abstinence. First you count the hours, then the days, then the weeks, months, etc. without it. Your confidence increases with each day that you say 'no.' Forty eight hours. God help me...

I am on day 11 and no problem sleeping but I have been taking melatonin, an over the counter sleep aid. I am also taking milk thistle and kudzu to counter the alcohol. I got all of this at a health food store.

Itchy sensations n twitches so bad after even one day I don't drink everyday
Went 5 days sober in July no problem- now after 3 days sober it's driving me nuts
At least it's a common problem n were not alone

I haven't had a drink in 9 days also. I used to have a few drinks during the week maybe binge on the weekends. But I wanted to try and feel like I could be more than one week sober. I feel great. Like clean. more energy too it helps that I've been trying to focus on myself in terms of exercise it helps me sleep and makes me want to improve. I've had bad seasons depression and stuff but never shared with family so maybe you'll be able to do it on your own if they don't drink it helps try spending time with. Also I haven't cut communication with my drinking buddies but I haven't seen them...that helps a lot. Best of luck

thank you for posting this. i am 6 days sober. not a heavy drinker and not really ever feeling addicted. i did like to have a drink a day however. i have had a slight bit of nausea and now, the past few days, i have been feeling dizzy. it seems to be getting worse. that is really the only symptom, so far, i am having. the nausea is abated by eating and it is slight anyway.
i was worrying that the dizziness was caused by something else since i don't really sense the other symptoms. thanks for putting my mind at rest. i don't have cravings for alcohol. it is more a habit i let myself get into. i have found deep breathing and a quick rest seem to take the place of a drink fairly well.
now, to just get my body to calm down and know it will be ok. *s* great site thanks

i hope your dad and you made it through.

hey, i read it. thanks. i am on day 6 and dizzy. i found this site to see if it was a normal experience. most sites, like webmd etc didn't mention being dizzy as a symptom. it seems it is.
i hope you made it through. being sober is so much better and we are not wasting our time and health being tipsy.

I've been an alcoholic for 27 years I decided to stop cold turkey and I've been nine days clean . I feel sick when does it get better

This is a lot like my symptoms - also a binge drinker...Ive done a few scattered sober months and gotten through fine. But I tended to go on benders. I didn't want to face reality. The withdrawal was pure scary hell. First vomiting brutally, shakiness. Then tremors and feeling awkward, anxious, uncomfortable, no appetite and still vomiting. Terrifying weird dreams, night sweats, fast heart beat, tiredness, insomnia, paranoia, hallucinations. I couldn't stand for long. Luckily my bf helped me through. At first I told him I was just sick but eventually to decided to admit to him, family and friends that I had a problem, was stopping drinking and asked they support me... Their responses were amazing and I was so relieved I didn't have to hide anymore. I encourage alcoholics to do this...you don't have to go through it alone

I haven't had a drop of alcohol in 522 days now. As I prepared to stop drinking I read a lot of these boards and promised myself I would get on here and give my experience if I was successful. I never got to the point of experiencing bad withdrawals because I would always drink more when the severe anxiety and shakiness would set in around noon each day. I drank for around 13 years (22-35ish) and built up to drinking near twenty light beers per day. I have some trouble knowing how much of my addiction was real and how much was the anxiety I drank to get rid of, but just based on the amounts and timeframe I drank it's probably safe to assume I would have had more than mild withdrawals. Reading posts on this site and others had me pretty scared. My wife knew of the issue, but no one else did and I wanted to keep it that way (in hindsight I don't recommend keeping it from people) by avoiding rehab. I first tried to taper using wine (I only drank beer) and was successful in doing this over a 20 day period (should have been shorter, but I was clinging to it). This lasted less than fifty days before I went back to beer. I spent the next six months trying to taper again, but never even came close to success. I started feeling out of control around Christmas '14 and realized I was in really bad shape. On 1/2/16 my wife and I went to an urgent care clinic and I told the doc my situation and asked him to prescribe me Librium (which he did after a short, kind talk). I had no physical withdrawals after beginning the medication and actually felt pretty amazing. I stayed on the medication a bit longer than I should have, but had no real issues. I stayed sober for a little over 100 days, but fought getting a drink every single one of those days. I finally painted myself into a corner and gave in. For about 60 days I was back at my old numbers and definitely realized that kindling was a real thing. I again asked for Librium and told myself that I can never drink again. I don't think about it and don't have issues being around it at this point. I was careful to avoid even being around it for the first few months. I only write all of this because fear from what I had read about other's experiences prevented me from quitting much sooner than I did. If you can taper then taper. If not, do not be afraid to ask for help from a doctor. You don't have to suffer and you don't have to go through a formal rehab program. Just don't let fear prevent you from quitting. I still have sleep issues that I attribute to having quit alcohol, but I have been here for my family every single day since I quit.