The First Week of Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Might Look Like This
Every experience is different
If you’re among the growing trend of the sober-curious, you might be wondering what it might feel like to detox from alcohol.
You’ve probably heard the horror stories of seizures and being hospitalized, or maybe your friends told you they had headaches and major sugar cravings.
Regardless of what you’ve heard, here are some real answers from real people who are in recovery and have conquered that first week of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
You’ll notice that there is a huge range from no symptoms at all to being hospitalized or needing to go to rehab.
Each person reacts differently to getting rid of the toxins they’ve put in their bodies. Much of how your body reacts will be a result of how much you drank and for how long.
Note: While I’m not a medical expert, it’s important to listen to the warnings of those below, as withdrawal can cause seizures and even kill you if not done properly. Seek medical advice before stopping cold turkey.
Without further ado, here is the Tweet I posted along with some of the answers. You can click on the image to see all of the answers.
*I have edited some of the answers for clarity, brevity, or to fix major grammar/spelling issues. I’ve also listed them in order somewhat of what I would consider minor to moderate to severe symptoms.
“Sugar cravings.”
“Major sweet tooth.”
“I am a high bottom drunk. I was fortunate, the physiological withdrawals were relatively minor. I drank coffee, ate ice cream to deal with cravings. My challenge was habits, lifestyle, as my industry took us all to drink each Friday (and more) to celebrate a new customer.”
“Headaches.”
“Dealing with uninhibited feelings.”
“Insomnia, mostly.”
“Sleeping patterns. I was getting good sleep when I was drinking, but when I stopped my brain wouldn’t shut off. That takes time, and is even something sober people deal with.”
“Nightmares and severe anxiety.”
“Night sweats. Omg I had to change my sheets almost every night. Anxiety was high and so were the sugar cravings.”
“Headache, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, insomnia, vivid dreams. But harder for me I think was the self loathing I had for myself to get myself into an addiction in the first place. That I didn’t expect.”
“Slight shaking, insomnia, thirst, loss of appetite, sweating (not so bad), high pulse, rapid temperature changes. I kept eating, drinking water and relaxing. Took about a week before I was kind of normal again.”
“If you are able to taper off, expect night sweats, nausea and cravings for alcohol. I’m sure you know this but need to mention that Alcohol withdrawal is dangerous and one of the worst things the body can experience so whenever possible it’s best to do a medical detox.”
“Many years ago I quit drinking. Detox symptoms were — massive panic attacks, anxiety, paranoia. Feelings of detachment and unreality. Shakes, waking up in a panic generalised fear. That lasted 2 months easily.”
“First week I was in detox and I could not walk due to gout which spilled into the following week of rehab. My legs basically froze up and the pain was so bad that I begged for them to amputate. Knees, ankles, toes.”
“I had multiple withdrawal episodes. They got progressively worse. One time I saw spiders crawling on the ceiling.”
“Shakes, sweats, and horrible nightmares. I could not hold down solid food for 3 days. I was in bad shape, and I’m sharing this because some folks might need a medically supervised detox, like I did.”
Doesn’t sound like vacation, does it?
When you’ve filled your body with poison for years, you can expect some serious repercussions.
The good news is once you get past the hardest part of the withdrawal symptoms, you can start to focus on some of the other issues that come with detoxing from alcohol. Your brain will start to clear up, your body will start to regulate itself, and things will be brighter.
Like I said before, it can take a while depending on how long and how much you’ve been drinking. But you can’t get over the worst part and heal until you actually start.
If these symptoms sound scary, just remember that continuing to drink is even scarier. You’re slowly destroying your brain and your health, and there will be serious consequences even if you can’t see them now.
I’m not trying to scare you into quitting. I just want to you to know the truth.
Quitting alcohol is hard; continuing to drink is even harder.
If you’re ready to quit, gear up. Be prepared for a pretty tough week and possibly month. Seek professional help if you think you will need it. Don’t try to detox alone.
You can always think of detoxing like training for a marathon. You’re go through some grueling work to get your body in shape for the long haul. Detoxing is the same: you go through some grueling work to get your body in shape for the long haul.
