Though the alcohol withdrawal timeline varies from person to person, there is a general timeline most people loosely follow with alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
The first signs of withdrawal typically occur anywhere from six hours to a few days after your last drink. For most people, symptoms peak between 24 and 72 hours but can peak several days into alcohol withdrawal.
Over time, you will start to notice a reduction in withdrawal symptoms. This can take days, weeks, or even months in some cases.
Day-by-Day Progression of Alcohol Withdrawal
Over the first few days after you reduce or stop your alcohol intake, you’ll likely experience specific withdrawal symptoms. These can include nausea, vomiting, shaking, sweating, anxiety, mood swings, depression, brain fog, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, tingling in your extremities, alcohol cravings, and headaches.
The intensity of your symptoms will likely fluctuate over the first few days. In the first 6-12 hours you will likely experience somewhat mild symptoms. Once you’ve reached the 24-hour mark, you may start to experience symptoms of mild to moderate intensity.
For most people, the intensity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms is the highest between 24 and 72 hours. Typically, this is also the period in which people experience severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms like hallucinations, seizures, and DT.
After 72 hours, your symptoms may start to resolve, though this is dependent on several factors.
Factors Influencing Withdrawal Duration
Many factors can influence the duration of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. These are usually related to the health and physical traits of an individual.
First, the length of alcohol withdrawal is dependent on how long you’ve been drinking alcohol as well as the intensity of alcohol consumption. The longer you abuse an addictive substance, the more likely you are to experience more severe and long-lasting effects. This is also worsened by heavy drinking.
Your overall health and well-being can also have a great impact on the duration of your alcohol withdrawal symptoms. If you’re struggling with health problems, you’re much more likely to experience a longer duration of withdrawal symptoms. Specific health conditions that can increase the duration include low platelet count, brain lesions, older age, low potassium and sodium levels, previous dehydration, and liver problems.
In addition to your physical health, your mental health can influence the duration of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. If you have co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), you may be more likely to experience withdrawal symptoms for a longer duration.
Some people also develop a condition called Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) which can influence your recovery from alcohol withdrawal. PAWS refers to the withdrawal symptoms some people experience after the acute stage of withdrawal.
PAWS can last weeks, months, and in severe cases, even years. Symptoms can include brain fog, mental health issues, lack of motivation, sleep problems, cravings, and memory loss. PAWS can complicate recovery, making it difficult to remain sober and prevent relapse.