how long do alcohol withdrawal symptoms last?

 

I was wondering if somone can give me some answers??? I've been sober for 12 days after a relapse on heavy drinking. For the last two days I've had severe muscle pains from my neck to my legs along with throbing head achs,cold and hot flushes and swets during the night. Is this normal for day 12??

I would like to start off by thanking everyone who has contributed their stories to this topic. I feel 100% better after reading everyones replies. 

I am a 24 year old woman. I began drinking at the age of 16. Started off casually on weekends with friends, ended up with me having shots when no one was looking. I didn't drink daily, I mainly drank on weekends. Usually on Saturdays, sometimes on Fridays or Sundays but very rarely would I go on a 3 day binge. One night ( about a month ago), after coming off a 2 day binge, I tried going to sleep but couldn't. Every time I would shut my eyes I would get super dizzy and a wave of heat would enter by upper body. What was going on? Never EVER had I felt this way before. I got up, went to get ice water and an ice pack to cool me down. I then googled my symptoms and just thought I had a case of anxiety. At that time I didn't think it was alcohol withdrawal. Two days later, I felt 100% fine.  A week later, I had another drinking binge. Sunday night? BANG. Same feeling. I felt asleep in the wee hours of Monday night as I made myself not fall asleep. I was literally SCARED to fall asleep because I hated that feeling. I thought I was going into a seizure! It was super scary. I then noticed a pattern. This was all going on after drinking alcohol! DUH! I wasn't then yet aware that it was the MAIN reason. I just thought that my anxiety (which was mostly mild due to school and bills) has somehow increased due to the effects of alcohol. YES! I was sure that was it. I then decided to stay away from the "poison" for about a week and see if my symptoms disappear. Problem is, I am a social person. My group of friends & I ALWAYS drink when we get together. So that one night when we're hanging out in my Park Slope apartment and everyone is having their usual Ballentines and coke, I said no. They made me a drink anyway but I decided that my health is more important to me then a glass of whiskey. I didn't drink that whole week. I was still having the anxiety, now during the day AND night and sudden jerks while laying down. WTF? When will this go away? I don't want it in my life! That Tuesday, I went to visit a friend in Manhattan. She poured a drink and I literally took 3 sips and momentarily got a heat wave sent to my face and a dizzy spell. Umm really? I can't even take 3 sips? Awesome. I spilled the drink and washed the glass. Since that day I haven't touched an ounce of alcohol. It's day 14, 5:12 AM. Still haven't slept. The anxiety isn't letting me sleep. I am a paranoid person by nature and this just adds to my paranoia. The dizziness is still there, as are the hot flashes with the anxiety turned insomnia. I literally just connected the two dots together. These weird feelings aren't caused by my anxiety and paranoia, I AM GOING THROUGH ALCOHOL WITHDRAWALS! I couldn't even believe it! NOw it makes SO MUCH SENSE! The alcohol is causing my anxiety, my insomnia, the hypnic jerks, the faint feeling, everything! I drank about 7 cups of water since 1:00AM and have taken a Vitamin B-12 supplement as I heard it aids in the process. I am so frightened!  I never want to feel like this again. I used to LOVE sleeping and now I am afraid to lay down on my side because I think I will go into shock or something! My body is just out of sync with what I want it to be! I am 24 years old and I know if I don't stop this "problem" now then it will gradually progress into something much worse. I am just wondering when these weird symptoms will go away! Hopefully soon! 

 

I wish everyone here the best of luck! Had I known these were withdrawal symptoms from the beginning, I would've probably gotten help from a medical professional but the symptoms have subsided a bit since the beginning and the only thing that is mainly left is the night anxiety and my paranoia just feeds onto it. It's very unfortunate what happens to your body when you abuse it with something that is made to be consumed by most!

 

Take care everyone!!!! xoxox

This is a great site.  I've read all the posts twice.  I have been drinking heavily for 20 years or so..first beer..in my 20s..hard stuff 30s..and i am now 43.  Around 30 i knew i was drinking too much and stopped for 6 months just prove to myself that i could.  My inner booze brain said to me "see there, you are not hooked" and so back to the everyday it was.  I've quit for 6 months 4 or 5 times in the last 8 years.   Each time ending in all day benders.  My booze brain prefers half a pint or pint of vodka everyday.  Oh and I would go to the doctor AFTER i stopped for months...the doctor falsely "thinks" i'm a rock star of health.  Booze brain wanted to show me the he did no harm and that it was o.k. to get back to it.

Each time I quit my symptoms get worse...shakes, sick to stomach, paranoid...but this last time (and I am on day 4) is scaring me straight.   shakes, panic attacks, sweats..normal.  Not normal to me...(1) each of the last 4 nights my neighbor has had an 80s band softly playing music in his attic (it seems), (2) someone or thing had the nerve shove me in my back during my sleep, and (3) I can't really sleep and if i do happen to doze off..i snap awake immediately on upon falling asleep.  Nice one!

It is getting better..but this is no way to live.  I am done. I will let you all know on what day the band stops playing next door!  I  did not taper, although Booze brain has requested it.  Learn your inner Booze brain is my advice and REMEMBER its tricks.

O.k. feeling pretty good morning of day 5. I slept well and the night band playing next door stopped, I did have a little trouble settling down at bed time.
I am on day 5 of a non taper withdrawal..no Doctor.
During the day of my first nights sleep in a while I did the following:
Juice and multivatimins for breakfast. Large Green salad for lunch and dinner. I took milk thistle, niacin, B complex, potassium, magnesium supplements 3 times each at meal time. No coffee or similar products. Walked for 2 hours.
Before bed I took melatonin and GABA 750 tablets and actually fell asleep! When I woke around 3:00 am I took 2 advil pm. 8 hours of sleep in all. This is/was frightening. Losing partial control of your nervous system is not fun. I NEVER want to go through with this again.

Today is day 17. Slept fine last night, no symptoms, but tonight I have insomnia/anxiety/hot flashes. I absolutely hate it! It has been so long since I quit and I can't believe the symptoms aren't gone yet! I will keep everyone updated on when they stop.

P.S. I don't get alcohol cravings. Have been to 3 parties since stopping cold turkey, was offered drinks at least 30 times and was happy to decline :) I am staying away from alcohol from now on! Never EVER do I want to feel like I did in the last few weeks, even for a second. Scariest experience of my life!

I was drinking large amounts almost every night for about a year. I would drink at least 1 Four Loko a night, one time I drank enough to try to kill myself in a drunken depressed rage(2 bourbon and cokes at the bar and than over a liter of Bacardi hurricane home) and that didn't work. I reached a point where it was hard to drink because if i wasn't completely hammered than I would get headaches, body pains, and stomach pain from nerve damage. About a month ago I decided to quit even if it was hard, the first few weeks I was just shaking, going through mood swings, or sleeping. After that I still got the occasional shakes,nightly insomnia, stomach problems, and spacey state of mind. Now I'm still trying to get my sleep schedule on track and trying to get past the temptation to drink again and also trying to recover from not remembering much of the past year.    

Hello everyone!

 

Today is day 19 since I quit cold turkey. After becoming obsessed and researching the hell out of this situation, I came to a conclusion that a. I need to take Vitamin B-12. 

b. I also need Vitamin B-1.

c. Water & Gatorade or just water w/ lemon & sea salt for the electrolytes

d. Melatonin for insomnia. It had been a big help! I only take 1.5 mg's (3mg in half) because the full 3mg's left me feeling like a zombie all day today)

Are all of my symptoms gone? Nope. I still get anxiety, driving is scary due to the dizzyness behind the wheel. Got dizzy today around 10pm after eating some chocolate but drank 2 bottles of water and felt muuch better. Please drink A LOT OF WATER, it does help. Don't drink too much at a time because you can die, literally. Spread out 16 8-oz. cups throughout the whole day. I just keep a bottle of water handy all the time. Costco sells the 36 12oz bottles of Poland Spring for $6. Yay Costco. 

Went to the doctor yesterday, only gave me Ambien for the insomnia. WTF? Am I in need of a doc office swap? Yes sir!

Anyway, I hope that everyone is doing the best they can be. Please please please visit the ER or a doctor if you're starting this! It could save your life! Literally! Also, if I had went to the emergency room in the beginning of all of this my symptoms wouldn't be as bad as they were. 

I feel much better then I did though! I am getting blood work done tomorrow to make sure I didn't mess up my liver or any other vital organs. 

Good luck to everyone! I will keep you updated on my recovery!

 

 

 

So today is day 21, official 3 weeks since stopping cold turkey. Fell asleep in my boyfriends arms tonight around 12:00AM, lets include the fact that I didn't have to take a Melatonin. Bf went home around 2, went right back to bed after walking him to the door and fell asleep. Woke up at 5:30AM, haven't slept since and it is now 8:08AM. This sucks. I tried falling asleep at 5:30 but had continuous episodes of the vertigo while dazing off. I then took a Melatonin that made me SUPEr tired but then the symptoms got worse and I decided to not go back to bed. It's sso frustrating to be afraid to fall asleep. I thought this was all behind me but boy was I wrong!!! The alcohol is DEFINITELY not worth even 1/10th of all of this suffering. I got blood work done yesterday so hopefully my doc can tell me what is going on with my body in case there is something more than the withdrawal.

 

:(

I've been reading this thread with interest over the last few weeks here's my background.

I originally quit drinking September 2009, at the time I was getting through up to 9 bottles of whiskey a week, I was 28 but knew I'd had a problem since I was a teenager but never really wanted to quit up until that time.  When I did quit the physical withdrawal actually not too bad for me, apart from a headache for a few days and 1 day where only stubbornness stopped me from collapsing.  

After a few weeks I became depressed, more withdrawn, and what particularly got to me was obsessive behaviour, unfortunately at the time I didn't realise it was all part of the withdrawal process (whoever wrote about PAWS, that was a great piece of information).  It cost me some friends which knowing what I know now hopefully could be avoided by telling them to expect me to go nuts over the next several weeks.

Physically I got much fitter over coming weeks and to a certain extent pretty much replaced alcohol with swimming (a mile a day pretty much every day of the week) and walking everywhere, not the addiction I hoped to replace it with but I didn't have a girlfriend at the time so my first choice was out.  

I was dry pretty much (a 2 week family holiday where I limited myself to 3 beers a day not withstanding) to early 2011 when a bad car crash left me in severe pain and physically very stiff and sore for a few months, I thought I need a painkiller and muscle relaxant combination, before I knew it I was back on the booze nearly as heavily as before.

A few things kept me drinking after that (other than the obvious being an alcoholic), just about the time I was 90% physically recovered from the crash I was told I was being made redundant that took 6 months to resolve as me moving to the US which didn't happen until July 2012 so pretty much 18 months back on the booze.

So end of August this year I quit again, again mild physical symptoms headache for a few days and a bit of nausea, the PAWS seemed quite mild in comparison this time, a bit of mildly depressive behaviour, I tend to come up with funny insults for myself to pass the time such as a line for a dating website would be "Morbidly obese, alcoholic, programmer who is piss poor with money WLTM a particularly desperate woman" that kind of thing but that soon turns into severe self loathing in my case.

Physically I made good progress I moved from temporary accommodation to a permanent place without any help so had a lot of stuff to move on a red hot day which if I hadn't quit drinking I never could have managed, I wouldn't have had the stamina to do it.

So I had my Dad visiting for 2 weeks early October who is the only unsupportive person I know in all this so I end up on the booze for the duration of his trip to stop him whining (he's part owner of a couple of breweries so I think he's happy to disown a teetotaler in the family).  The 2 weeks came and went and I was drinking every day but not a massive amount compared to previous standards and I managed to get back off the booze again.

The 2 weeks in my case were a complete pain in the backside, they completely reset my clock, I don't know why I should be surprised, and back to starting with the physical withdrawal again, this time quite a bit worse than August and possibly 2009 without the near collapsing.  Severe headache and nausea for a few days.  Worst of all the PAWS really kicked in again, more severe than in August, on a par with 2009.  As in 2009 I went through a week or so of lack of appetite.  Depression, a bit of playful banter with myself then straight to the particularly hurtful stuff.  Obsessive behaviour has led to a few anxiety attacks over the last few weeks culminating in one on Tuesday I ended up in a "Same intent, same outcome different drug" scenario, I drink to be unconscious, Tuesday at 7pm I took a double dose of sleeping pills.  Thankfully Wednesday I recognised it for what it was, pretty much falling off the wagon, in fact only staying on it due to a technicality (different drug) so I won't be doing that one again.

So having said all that I mainly wanted to get down a few things I've learnt having gone through this a 3 times over the last few years.

I started writing a journal in early November (it's now turned into a 15 page foul mouthed rant) mainly so that if/when I go through this again I can use it to understand what is happening a bit better.  It has really helped, partly as a release but also as a reference, I'd thoroughly recommend it so long as you can be honest.

The brain will play some serious tricks on you during the withdrawal, I've not had many cravings but my brain has made me feel like c**p in order to make me think its my conscious mind that wants the drink.  For example the day I started my journal my brain flashed an image into my minds eye of me curled up on my sofa with a bottle of whiskey, that sent me into a bit of a tailspin that day.  I eventually thought of the theory why people's lives supposedly flash before their eyes in a near death experience, looking through for a way of dealing with the situation, my brain found my way of dealing with my current situation, I have to wonder how many bottles I've got through because of moments like that.

If you can be honest with a few friends about what you're going through then do it, I particularly suffer from obsessive behaviour, I've told the people it is likely to affect and they have been very understanding and know to take the things I say and do with a pinch of salt.

I need to find new hobbies, there is a good chance that you will too.  I'm terrible for living life in my own head, time to get out and live life, being quite an outdoors kind of person I'm thinking some photography classes to meet new people and then out walking for exercise and to get some landscape shots and recognise the beauty around.

Best wishes to you all.

UPDATE: Day 26... WEIRD! 

So the last few days were fine until today.

Symptom # 1:

I drove out to Long Island to visit a friend in the afternoon. Driving there was a blast, no anxiety, no dizziness, no fatigue. I thought all of my symptoms went away! The first time in weeks where I was able to drive and not become dizzy and scared! I was very excited until.. The trip back. Left her house at 6PM, it was already dark. I got stuck in crazy traffic and it took me 3 hours to drive home. That 3 hour drive was the worst !! I was SOOO dizzy driving back! I got really upset because I thought all the bad symptoms had passed but they doubled! I  had to make a stop on the side of the road to take a breather and to calm down because I don't know what would have happened otherwise. I did notice a pattern though... It is the night driving. I drive FINE during the day when it is light out. The dark is what seems to be causing these problems. 

Symptom # 2:

When I got back home, I washed up and went to bed. Took my Melatonin and turned on my laptop (can't fall asleep w/o it btw). About 30 minutes later, I felt super tired and layed on my side to fall asleep. I felt a sudden adrenaline rush throughout my whole body and woke right up from being freaked out. WYF? What is this feeling? It wasn't a hypnic jerk, it was like a tiny wave of electricity going through my body starting from my legs going up. It is not 4:31 AM and I am still up! WHAT IS THIS??? AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHEN WILL I BE ABE TO FALL ASLEEP LIKE A NOMAL PERSON? I am super tired but afraid of going to sleep. Hate it! HELP!

Hi all, hope you can help.

 

i am 27 and have been known to be a big drinker, party animal however thats normally only been on friday and saturday nights since being about 17. never drunk in day and if i have a drink mid week it would be 4 beers at most.  The only times ive drunk non stop are if when im in my early 20s i had a lads holiday, went on a club 18-30s type thing when wed drink non stop for a week.  Never classed it as a problem at all. I never drink on my own, or drink to go to sleep etc, have a good job and am fit and healthy. I would have said im a normal twenty something.

 

however, towards the end of a holiday after 5 or 6 days of heavy drinking i very nearly passed out and went pale and weak and then became very restless. This was a few years ago.  The same thing tended to happen after every yearly lads holiday.  However i now suffer from anxiety and its bad around a day to a week after a saturday night out, so much so that ive stopped having saturday nights out so ive not been drinking much at all.  Havent had a drink except for two pints of weak shandy on friday for about 3 weeks. The time before that drink 3 weeks ago was two weeks before that so its quite sporadic.

i dont mind not drinking non stop on holiday ever again - too old for that now and even staying out till 3am in a nightclub chasing girls etc on a saturday night is for younger people! Ive only ever got drunk in a sociable atmosphere and not passed out or anything

i dont mind stopping for a year or two, but the thought of never being able to have a glass or two of wine on new years eve, going out for dinner with friends and the odd casual cocktail on a carribbean holiday for your honeymoon etc just seems a little depressing! I dont feel the need to keep drinking once i have one, i can have a pint and stop, thats mot the issue.

I suppose my question is the following

if i lay off the booze for a year then will my body be able to cope with half a bottle of red wine on a saturday night over dinner or will i feel all anxious again? Does this sound like booze withdrawal or something else?

 

thanks

pj

Update! Today is day 33, its been over a month since I stopped cold turkey from weekend binges for 6 years.

I got my blood work done and got a call back from my doctor. Worst 3 days of my life while waiting for appointment. Verdict? UTI! Thats it? 

ME: "Doc, you sure my liver is fine? "

Doc: " You're 24, of course its fine. The liver is a forgiving organ plus it regenerates itself. Excessive driving will due extreme damage to it so don't drink too much but other than that you're fine"

 

What a RELIEF! I was 100% sure my liver enzymes would be all messed up but somehow I am healthy! Thank GOD!

As for my night-driving-dizzyness? Doc recommended I go to get my eyes checked out. Verdict? 20/20 vision. Doc did prescribe glasses since maybe my eyes are restless and overtired from the dark so wearing glasses MIGHT stop the dizzyness. Picking up glasses mid next week.

 

Other then that, the other symptoms are gone. I am glad that my life is starting to get back to normal. 

 

Good luck to everyone! Remember, it gets better!  

Happy Holidays, xox.

 

 

I couldn't agree more! I feel incredibly ashamed of what I have let myself become! It sucks and scares the c**p out of me!

Well, I am 24 as well, and I began drinking very heavily when I was about 17-18 (before, I was drinking heavily, but only the week-end). I have downed 3/4 of a bottle of gin in just 4 to 5 hours (so that I would kind of black out to "sleep") for the past 3 years,and I would go with beer through the week-ends on sunny days, when I would go out. Last year, I had enough. So I decided to quit cold turkey. I just thought that it would be hard the first week, but that it would go away, like that. How stupid I was. The 1st day went ok,because I still had enough alcohol in my body from the day before. From the 2nd to the 4th days, I began to feel very weird (feeling cold, vomiting, beginning not to be able to sleep anymore, panic attacks). By the fifth day, I began hearing "things" that seemed rather normal to me (like music and voices that I thought were coming from my neighbour's flat). Then the noises went very loud, and that's when I became worried that it wasn't going to get any better. A few hours later, I was in a complete delirium tremens (that's what they called it at the hospital + I had done some research ): seeing/hearing/FEELING (that's the worst!) spiders, bugs, worms and snakes (I remember them crawling on me, I was trying to shake them off by pulling my hair...). But I had a small break and I reached the emergency services. They put me in the hospital for one night, gave me a little sedative and let me go the following morning. But the delirium came back, and I rushed to my GP who called the emergencies, and I went into a detox. As soon as I was able to get away (10 days), I left... to fall back in drinking again... Well, to make it a bit shorter, I went again to the hospital last year to attempt a rehab, which I left after 10 days (again) This year, in February-March, my eyes would turn bright yellow, I was constantly more than tired (exhausted, even though I could have been sleeping for 14 hours straight at the week-end), my legs were swollen and very painful (I still managed to go to work, though), I couldn't eat anything because nothing could stay in my stomach. I was too panicked to do anything. And in May, well I had to pay the price of many years of neglecting my body: I was rushed to the hospital. They ended up transferring me from a hospital to another and I was put into a coma for 10 days. I had to get a transplantation, because my liver was not regenerating. In fact, it had not been working for at least two weeks and my body was full of toxines (so full of them that I nearly died at the hospital after they'd brought me in). After 7 months without alcohol and a normal food (by the end, I was not even bothered to eat anymore, so that i endend up weighing well under 40kg for 5ft2) I feel great. But the idea of the alcohol is always in the back of my mind: some days i despise it and it frightens me, some days I would love to fall back into its arms. The only thing is that if I drink again, I will die. I have to admit that I am deeply ashamed and I feel like I have "stolen" the healthy liver from someone who really needed it (not some f****d up alcoholic like I was). I wish you all good luck in recovering from your addiction. Personally, I try to keep myself busy whenever I think too much about alcohol. Have a wonderful Christmas & New year's Eve.

i cant believe ive got myself here again. The horrific withdrawal I went thrugh 2 months ago shuld have put me in a coffin but I survived......and stayed sober for all of 3 weeks. Ive been drinking a litre and a half of vodka every single day for past 5 weeks SOLID. Exp has taught me than to go cold turkey is too dangerous. I almost had heart failure last time so Im doing what works for me which is to reduce consuption over 3 days. It takes about 8 days for all the withdrawal symptoms tgo finnaly be over and its HELL. Each relapse is worse than the last. Today is day 1. Ive only had about a quarter of a Ltr and my heart is pounding, im retching and cant stop crying. Its will get worse for 3 more days before it gets better so Im looking at the clock waiting for the nightmare to really kick off. The feeling of dread is creeping up and im almost having to breathe into a paper bag. If I ever do this again I will die. Its got to end. Pray for me peeps :(