how long do alcohol withdrawal symptoms last?

I have been sober for 20 days and I feel so effing GOOD. When I was first going through withdrawal, after I was "forced" to stop drinking because of pancreatitis, (fifth time I've had it in 3 years). This time however the withdrawal is what made me want to stop. I experienced horrible nightmares, the shakes, dts, insomnia, the sweats and worst of all I had a seizure (my second 1 from alcohol withdrawal). I found this site while I was going thru these things, and honestly ALL of your words got me through. I was given 3 days worth of ativan at the e.r. a few days later things got better for me. I know I cannot drink again, because 1 will lead to many, and those many may actually kill me. I've been drinking everynight for almost 10 years now, and I believe I've found the underlying cause. BTW I'm only 27 and alcohol almost ruined my life. However, refuse to go down that road again because I am tired of being "tired" and at times useless. The sober me is so much better then alcoholic me, I'm happy, healthier, have more energy, and I'm able to give my child all my attention :)

How wonderful that you see it at 27 and not too late like my loved one who drank until the pancreas swelled and ruptured the colon and poisoned his system (I wrote about him on here). He didn't make it although many many prayers went up for him. Please stay on the road to a good life. I have had to give up several loved ones at very young ages and drugs and alcohol were a factor in all of those losses including my precious 8 year old daughter. Get help and loving support and someone to be accountable to. I pray that you are blessed with a wonderful life for you and your child.

Does anyone know if I should be asking my loved one if they are still clean and sober? They told me about 3 weeks ago that they were sober 4 days and were having a hard time sleeping etc. Since then we have talked And I ask how they are doing and how she is sleeping and they say better and feeling better but don't really say if they are drinking. I am concerned because other family members in the home drink regularly and probably daily. Will they be offended if I bring it up?

I'm a 23 yr old college student. I went on what you could equate to about an 8 month bender starting last year. I was drinking almost every day, 5-7, started with about half of a fifth of whiskey every night, then progressed (more like regressed) to almost the whole bottle. This went on for months until I got to my final exams before graduating college. After my last paper, I hit it HARD for just over a week. At least a bottle of whiskey every day, plus some beers. The biggest mistake I made was drinking in the morning to relieve the hangover. The last day of this bender left me feeling sick the next day, so I called into work. By noon the next day I couldn't handle it, I called in sick the second day in a row and drove to the store to get some wine. I had a change of heart, turned around, and had a seizure while driving. This could have been the DT's, not really sure. I didn't have my phone and was saved by a stranger in the parking lot. I, like many, didn't tell my family/friends that I had a drinking problem, so the doctor at the ER (my dad) didn't know. I went home to my family, and had intense auditory hallucinations, which, combined with the lack of sleep, caused me to break down and tell my family. I stayed sober for 2 weeks, had bad anxiety (xanax helps), multiple and frequent panic attacks. Slipped up again after 10 more days sober and had an awful panic attack. I then went thirty days, and decided to go on a binge for this past weekend to "reward" myself. Two bottles over the course of 3 days. I saw the vicious cycle that I was becoming a part of and decided the anxiety is just not worth it. Don't "slip up", because it is a bad cycle. I hope a 3 day binge won't cause bad withdrawals again, because it sucks. The 30 days I went sober were fantastic. It's good to see that this forum has people who have been through this stuff and are willing to talk about it. All the best to y'all, stay strong!

-J

Sober 3 weeks and 2 days! :) it may not seem like much, but everyday I feel prouder. I forgot to add in my last post, that the two times I had a seizure I was totally unaware that it even occurred. The first happened on my balcony, the second time happened while I was asleep and I was actually vomiting during it my boyfriend "saved" me both times.

@ jt I know exactly how you feel being out of control of your own body is probably one of the scariest things to have happen to you. I will always be an "alcoholic " but I plan on never drinking again. Seizures can kill you, and if I was alone that last time I may have choked on my own vomit and died! That alone keeps me away (along with the other withdrawal symptoms). Best of luck to you, and anytime you think you want a drink think of that seizure you had while driving. You could of killed yourself and others :( at such a young age, its so not worth it.

@ sister thanks for your kind words

I am so thankful that you told your family and for the stranger who saved you..God can send angels or people or whatever He needs to do to save and rescue us..lean on Him and those that are strong to help you when you feel weak..i suggest trying to find what is your triggers or the reason you drink..stress, fear, acceptance? You surely don't want to be walking down the road same road of destruction when you are 33. You are brave and wise to face this giant of slavery....alcoholism is slavery..demanding you to obey..
You can find the strength to stop and please find a support group. The best to you.

50 year old here on day 4 of cold turkey.  After coming off of a week-long bender over vacation July 4th week, where I made a fool of myself (again) in front of friends and family, I decided that this had to stop.  Damn it’s hard.  I am doing this while my wife remains out of town for the next three weeks, so she doesn’t have to endure my sweat-filled, thrashing, sleepless nights and moodiness/irritability.   I am hoping to present her and my grown son with a sober husband/father when I see them again. I have a constant headache, high blood pressure, dizziness, palpitations, diarrhea, and depression.  If I manage to fall asleep I wake up soaking wet.  I have also seen things out of the corner of my eye that I suppose would qualify as hallucinations.  At first I thought I had a heart condition so saw a cardiologist.  My ticker checked out fine, but I did have high BP so he prescribed a beta blocker.  I should have known that these symptoms were booze related since they go away when I drink.  Like many here, I began drinking early in life at about 14-15.  It felt good and made me cooler at the time.  I had a grand old time flunking out of a very good college because I drank so much.  Through it all I managed to quit for about three years when my kids were in high school so that 1. We had no alcohol in the house they could indulge in and 2. I could smell any booze on them at this vulnerable time.   Began drinking again after a trip to Vegas.  It didn’t stay in Vegas. Of course, “just a couple of beers” graduated into a half bottle of vodka a night.  This time it is harder.  At any rate, this site is great help.  Misery loves company or something.  Wish me luck and good luck and congrats to the rest of folks here. 

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so glad for your decision and please be safe about doing this cold turkey and watch for serious withdrawal symptoms including seizures hallucinations and anxiety etc. One person said they thought they were losing their mind and was actually afraid to talk to their loved ones. I think that could be a symptom also. Please let someone close to you know so they can be aware of what to look for and seek out medical help if in doubt. You can get your life back at 50. You're in my prayers.

Please always be honest with your doctors and health care professionals. I wrote here about losing my brother at 49 years old from the pancreas swelling until it ruptured his colon. His Family Doctor was devastated because she said she could probably have helped him if only he would have told her.

Thanks to all for this thread.  Just came across it, read from start to finish and found it really helpful and informative.  My "takeaway" is that there are a lot of similarities in terms of symptoms BUT there is no "one size fits all" cure.  You have to process the best information you can find and commit to a course of action that works for you.  Here's my story...

I am 47, a former elite athlete who is still in good shape.  I would describe myself as a "functioning-alcoholic".  I have great loving family and friends, a successful career, respect in the community, etc.  So, I have been able to hold it together but the hard fact I am finally beginning to face is I drank too much and risked it all falling apart.  I would average about 35 drinks a week and drink 5-7 days a week, usually "binging" on the weekends. 

My low moment came on July 4th.  Played golf with some great friends that I don't see often, had some beers on the course followed by a couple of mixed drinks in the clubhouse after.  I then met my wife and kids at a friend's house for a BBQ and more drinks followed by the fireworks and more drinks.  Long story short it was an all day bender the last part unfolding in front of my kids who are now old enough to know.  While I didn't do anything stupid I was slurring my words, was inconsiderate (I, of course, assumed my wife would drive us home), and generally a mess.  When we got home my wife basically sent me to my room (as if I was the kid) so I could pass out without the kids seeing any more (yes, she is an angel).  HOWEVER, a funny thing happened toward the end of the night.  I don't know what to call it but I kind of had an "out of body experience" where I kind of saw myself in my drunken state and was disgusted.  It was as if I had a consciousness of what was going on and was able to look at what I was and what I was becoming and was really bummed out about it.  Alcohol was starting to take control of my very fortunate life (not to mention affecting my loved ones) and it sucked.

That was 8 days ago and I haven't had a drink since.  Like others on this thread I have had trouble sleeping, anxiety, mild depression, and lack of energy...especially for the first week.  Last night I took a couple of melatonin to help with the sleep (which they did) and today I woke up feeling better than I have in some time.  My mind is clear my body is strong and, with the help of people on this thread, I am optimistic about my sobriety.

My formula is as follows:

1) Think about the bigger picture (whatever that means to you:  could be loved ones, career, faith, education, finances, etc.) and how alcohol is adversely affecting your life.

2) Eat well.

3) Exercise.

4) Sleep well.

5) Keep yourself occupied during "drinking time" (take up a new hobby that enriches your life)

6) Stay strong and know that everyone on this thread is with you in this journey.

Thanks again to all.

If you have been doing this for 40 years the alcohol feels normal to you because you probably can't remember what it was like before you were drinking..40 years is a long time and you will have to let your body and especially you brain develop a new and healthy normal..remember there are things your brain does not produce while you have alcohol in it..you will need to give your body the proper nutrients, supplements, rest etc for it to be able to function normally as in before the alcohol addiction...our bodies are made to heal if we treat them properly God made them that way...

I just wanted to say behaviors can be changed by will (our) power
hearts can only be changed by the power of The Lord Jesus.

Sorry to say after a month sober I had a glass of wine in "celebration" I mentally feel like c**p... and I wonder what was the purpose? It ruined my 1 month sobriety smh. But here I can be honest, and acknowledge there was no point in me having that glass. Best wishes to all, and I guess ill start over again:( (my sobriety). I am honest when I say the thought of me drinking actually makes me feel like a loser/worse

Begin again and try to think about why you took the drink in the first place.
It is not worth the end result..the best to you

Same problem here. Real bummer when people in your life don't care for your health and well being. Guess you pay the price for being a fun drunk.