When you regularly use marijuana (THC), your body may build tolerance and dependence. Tolerance means that it takes larger doses of THC to experience its Alcohol Withdrawal effects. Dependence happens when your body requires THC to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Types of Alcohol: Which Ones Are Safe to Drink and Which Ones Are Dangerous?

While knowing the general detox timeline provides helpful context, try not to fixate on specific timeframes for feeling “normal” again. Everyone’s recovery journey unfolds at its own pace, and comparing yourself to others or to average timelines can create unnecessary frustration. PAWS symptoms fluctuate in intensity and can appear, disappear, and reappear during the first year of recovery.

How Long Do Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms Typically Last?

If you’re simply looking to speak to someone on the phone or chat online for more advice on your own or someone else’s drinking, get in touch with Drinkchat or Drinkline. Alcohol affects the area of the brain responsible for the ‘fight or flight’ function which helps our brains respond to danger, by preparing us to either react or run away. Because alcohol is a depressant, drinking suppresses the ‘fight or flight’ response in your brain and nervous system. At Fellowship Hall, we provide both medically supported detox, as well as a variety of outpatient services, including partial hospitalization and outpatient rehab. It’s also crucial to remember that getting support for someone while they are of sound mind is often much easier and safer than waiting until symptoms become severe and unmanageable.

Use of evidence‑based medications

For example, they will replenish your vitamin stores by giving daily injections of thiamine (vitamin B1) that alcohol depletes. The loss of this essential vitamin can lead to memory and neurological problems like Wernicke’s encephalopathy, that can be serious. People often stay unconscious for several minutes after a seizure while the brain recovers. Alcohol withdrawal can cause severe, life-threatening symptoms.

Between 24, 48 hours, symptoms often intensify, heart rate increases, emotional vulnerability rises significantly, and your metabolism continues adjusting to functioning without alcohol. If you get withdrawal symptoms, you will need medical support to help you reduce and stop your drinking. That will help you decide on the best plan to stop drinking, with support which can include specific prescription medication to take during your withdrawal.

If you are ready to consider detox, you do not have to have everything figured out. Your first call can simply be a conversation about your drinking, your symptoms, and what feels realistic for you right now. From there, a team can help you design a supervised withdrawal plan that honors your safety, your dignity, and your goals for the future.

If your symptoms return, the person shouldgive you another dose of the rescue medication. Additional doses may be given every 2 to 3minutes, if symptoms return before medical help arrives. Detox is the process of your body clearing alcohol while your nervous system recalibrates. Withdrawal happens because long-term alcohol use changes brain signaling. When alcohol is removed suddenly, the nervous system can swing into overactivity, leading to symptoms ranging from mild anxiety to seizures and delirium tremens (DTs).

• Robert is our health care professional reviewer of this website.
• This is a rare phase known as post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS).
• Not everyone who uses marijuana experiences withdrawal when they stop using it.
• By the 12-hour mark, blood sugar levels may drop, leaving you dizzy or irritable.
• It’s a door you can walk through even if your hands are shaking.

Medical oversight reduces withdrawal complications by up to 68% and increases detox completion rates by 28%. Even if you detox at home, professional check-ins and monitoring protocols help keep you safe. Your withdrawal response depends on factors like drinking history, age, and overall health, making personalized guidance essential. Acute physical withdrawal symptoms typically last 4-10 days for most people, with the most intense symptoms occurring during the first 2-3 days. However, some psychological symptoms and post-acute withdrawal syndrome can persist for several months.