If you were to stop drinking six 175ml glasses of wine per week, you would have saved 1,920 calories at this point, and 2,160 if you’d stopped drinking around six pints of lager. Therefore, giving up alcohol can help you keep well hydrated, which is beneficial for your brain. Your mood and concentration will be more stable, and the frequency of headaches is likely to decrease. You also won’t suffer from the effects of dehydration such as lack of motivation and increased fatigue, so will have more energy throughout the day. You’ll also have more opportunity to manage your food and drink intake. Sleep helps to balance the hormones that make you feel hungry or full.

• Amid these physical symptoms, it’s paramount to also address the emotional and psychological turmoil.
• You may also benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy and join a support group in your area.
• This is one of the main reasons medical detox is frequently recommended for people with moderate to heavy alcohol use — even if early symptoms seemed mild.
• Caregivers should watch for signs of DTs, such as confusion or fever, and seek emergency care if they appear.
• Stopping alcohol will reduce the number of empty calories that you consume.

What Is Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome?

Taking that first step toward help can feel overwhelming, but it’s also the beginning of healing. With compassionate, professional care, individuals and families can move forward with hope, stability, and the tools needed to build a healthier, more fulfilling future. As withdrawal progresses, symptoms may become more disruptive and affect daily functioning. Moderate symptoms often emerge within the first one to two days and may fluctuate in intensity, similar to effects described in the short-term effects of alcohol. As the calories in alcohol can cause you to gain weight, giving up alcohol can also help you to reduce your blood pressure as a result of the weight you can potentially lose. By this point, if you’d previously been drinking six 175ml glasses of wine a week, you would have lost 2,880 calories over 3 weeks.

Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Alcohol might help you get to sleep faster, but it keeps you from reaching the deepest, most restorative stages of sleep. Stopping alcohol can seem daunting, especially if you use it frequently or if it is a central part of your social life. You can feel better, decrease your risk of diseases, think more clearly, save money and even improve your relationships. While there are some short-term withdrawal effects, the long-term benefits are well worth the effort. Alcohol withdrawal can feel unpredictable, especially when symptoms change from day to day. Many people second-guess themselves, wondering whether what they’re experiencing is “normal” or something that needs medical attention.

Late Stage: 4–7 Days

However, studies show that even these individuals can regain substantial cognitive abilities after sustained sobriety lasting months or years. Within days or weeks of abstinence, many people feel sharper mentally with less brain fog or fatigue. Alcohol puts significant stress on the liver because it has to work overtime to metabolize toxins.

Real Help. Real Recovery.

This is distinct from delirium tremens but still a warning sign that withdrawal is more than “just” a hangover. Insomnia, another troubling symptom of this phase, can leave us feeling drained. Reducing screen time, especially during the evening, can help prepare the body for sleep. When a full night’s sleep seems elusive, short naps during the day can replenish some energy. These early symptoms are your body’s way of signaling that it’s adjusting to the absence of alcohol.

What are the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal?

If you’re ready to take the next step, know that hope and help are within reach. Acute alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically last 3-7 days, with symptoms peaking around hours after your last drink. However, some psychological symptoms and cravings can persist for weeks or months, known as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS). Alcohol withdrawal is mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting. Withdrawal and detox are the difficult first steps toward sobriety, but they are well worth taking.

• Strict detox set-ups focus on observation, safety, and symptom control and equip individuals to transition to the subsequent stage of recovery services, such as outpatient treatment.
• For heavy drinkers or those with alcoholism history, suddenly quitting can be dangerous due to withdrawal syndromes such as seizures or delirium tremens (DTs).
• These symptoms—mostly emotional and cognitive—tend to come in waves and diminish in intensity over time.
• Withdrawal symptoms usually start in a few hours to a few days of the last use, and peak at about one week.
• Experiencing shaking after drinking can range from a temporary inconvenience to a warning sign of serious alcohol dependence.

Even in the relative ease that might dawn after six months, we must remain vigilant. The initial triggers or circumstances that led to our alcohol dependence might still exist. Alcohol Withdrawal It’s therefore crucial to hold onto the habits and the mindset shifts we developed during the recovery process. There’s a societal narrative that often equates seeking help with weakness, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.