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How Long Will Alcohol Detox Take?

Alcohol Detox Timeline

Alcohol addiction will cause intense and painful withdrawal symptoms for the majority of alcoholics who stop drinking, which is why medical supervision is highly advised in people who wish to stop drinking after abusing alcohol for years. However, the physical withdrawal symptoms, though intense, usually will subside after the first five days of a person’s alcohol detox.

After the physical withdrawals have ceased an alcoholic will still have to deal with the emotional side effects of stopping drinking and this can take months to years of therapy.

Getting through the physical withdrawals of alcohol detox is terrifying for most alcoholics to think about as the withdrawals can be painful and difficult for a person to go through. Alcohol rehab or detoxing in a medical facility is highly recommended for any alcoholic to do if they decide to quit drinking. The following withdrawals can be expected within the first five days of an alcohol detox, although it is important to know that not everybody has the same withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms should begin easing around the fifth alcohol-free day.

Day one: Confusion, tremors, anxiety, excessive sweating, hallucinations, rapid heartbeat, vomiting and sleeping problems.

Day two: All of day one’s withdrawals symptoms accept usually in day two some heavy alcoholics experience seizures.

Day three and four: All previous withdrawal symptoms continue, but this is the point where delirium tremens can occur. According to a Foundation for a Drug Free World, delirium tremens usually occur three to four days after a person stops drinking. Delirium tremens are where a person will become highly agitated, have uncontrollable shakes, experience hallucinations and lose touch with reality.

Day five: Withdrawal symptoms should begin to decrease.

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be fatal and need to be properly handled by individuals who are going through them. If a person decides to stop drinking on their own and they begin to experience tremors within the first few hours of their last drink they should immediately check into a medical facility to ensure they have a safe detox.

Although the physical withdrawals are very scary for alcoholics to think about, it is also important for them to undergo therapy after they have went through the physical withdrawal symptoms. Therapy will help them deal with the psychological withdrawal symptoms that they may experience such as anxiety, insomnia and depression. The psychological withdrawal symptoms can be just as difficult to deal with as the physical withdrawals because they linger for a much longer period of time. However, with therapy and support a person should be able to overcome all of the withdrawal symptoms and regain normality in their life again. Alcohol Anonymous groups are also available to recovering alcoholics to help them in their path to sobriety.

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