Alcohol Withdrawal
Resources for Patients and Caregivers
Symptoms that occur when someone stops using alcohol after a period of heavy drinking. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can vary widely in severity. In severe cases, the condition can be life-threatening.
Symptoms may occur from two hours to four days after stopping alcohol. They may include headaches, nausea, tremors, anxiety, hallucinations, and seizures.
In many cases, alcohol withdrawal requires medical treatment and hospital admissions. Medications may be used to treat physical symptoms while counseling and support groups help with controlling drinking behavior.
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: 05-Alcohol Withdrawal
Diagnosis: Alcohol Withdrawal
US Patients:
World Patients:
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset:
Brain Area: May alter genetics and GABA receptors In the brain. May have prolonged withdrawal due to dopamine underactivity.
Symptoms: anxiety, shakiness, sweating, vomiting, hallucinations and delerium
Progression: Start about six hours after the last drink, worst at 24-72 hours, improve by seven days.
Causes:
Medications: Benzodiazepines but these also have negative side effects.
Therapies:
Youtube Video:
Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Overview
Amazon or Library Book: Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms

Resources for Physicians, Counselors and Researchers
4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED
The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis
Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.
- Role of suppressing GLT-1 and xCT in ceftriaxone-induced attenuation of relapse-like alcohol drinking in alcohol-preferring ratsby Sujan C Das on June 27, 2022
Alcohol dependence results in long-lasting neuroadaptive changes in meso-corticolimbic system, especially in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which drives relapse-like ethanol drinking upon abstinence or withdrawal. Within NAc, altered glutamate homeostasis is one of the neuroadaptive changes caused by alcohol dependence. Accumbal glutamate homeostasis is tightly maintained through glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) and cystine-glutamate antiporter (xCT). But the role of GLT-1 and xCT in relapse-like...
- Effects of Alcohol Withdrawal on Sleep Macroarchitecture and Microarchitecture in Female and Male Ratsby Marissa R Jones on June 27, 2022
The prevalence of sleep disruptions is higher among people with alcohol use disorder (AUD), particularly during alcohol withdrawal, compared to non-AUD individuals. Although women generally have a higher risk of developing sleep disorders, few studies have investigated sex differences in sleep disruptions following chronic alcohol exposure. The present study examined sleep macroarchitecture (time spent asleep or awake and sleep onset latency) and microarchitecture (bout rate and duration and...
- Cortical GABA levels are reduced in young adult binge drinkers: Association with recent alcohol consumption and sexby Ksenija Marinkovic on June 26, 2022
Binge drinking refers to a pattern of alcohol intake that raises blood alcohol concentration to or above legal intoxication levels. It is common among young adults and is associated with health risks that scale up with alcohol intake. Acute intoxication depresses neural activity via complex signaling mechanisms by enhancing inhibition mediated by gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), and by decreasing excitatory glutamatergic effects. Evidence primarily rooted in animal research indicates that the...
- Development of an intravenous low-dose buprenorphine initiation protocolby Lindsay A Jablonski on June 26, 2022
CONCLUSIONS: IV buprenorphine LDI was tolerated and completed in a majority of patients. Dosing protocols allowed for rapid transition to sublingual buprenorphine. Acute pain or recent methadone or fentanyl exposure may inform IV LDI dosing strategy selection.