Alcohol withdrawal refers to symptoms that may occur when a person who has been drinking too much alcohol every day suddenly stops drinking alcohol.

Alcohol withdrawal usually occurs in adults, but it may happen in teenagers or children as well. It can occur when a person who uses alcohol excessively suddenly stops drinking alcohol. The withdrawal usually occurs within 5 - 10 hours after the last drink, but it may occur up to 7 - 10 days later.

Excessive alcohol use is generally considered the equivalent of 2 - 6 pints of beer (or 4 oz. of "hard" alcohol) per day for 1 week, or habitual use of alcohol that disrupts a person's life and routines.

The more heavily a person had been drinking every day, the more likely that person will develop alcohol withdrawal symptoms when they stop. The likelihood of developing severe withdrawal symptoms also increases if a person has other medical problems.

Mild-to-moderate psychological symptoms:

• Jumpiness or nervousness
• Shakiness
• Anxiety
• Irritability or easy excitability
• Rapid emotional changes
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Bad dreams

Mild-to-moderate physical symptoms:

• Headache -- general, pulsating
• Sweating -- especially the palms of the hands or the face
• Nausea and vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Insomnia (sleeping difficulty)
• Pallor
• Rapid heart rate
• Eye pupils enlarged(dilated pupils)
• Clammy skin
• Tremor of the hands
• Involuntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids

Severe symptoms:

• Delirium tremens -- a state of confusion and visual hallucinations
• Agitation
• Fever
• Convulsions
• Black outs -- when the person forgets what happened during the drinking episode

The health care provider will check for:

• Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
• Rapid breathing (tachypnea)
• Elevated temperature
• Abnormal eye movements
• Shaky hands
• General body shaking
• Abnormal heart rhythms
• Internal bleeding
• Liver failure
• Dehydration

A toxicology screen may be performed as well as other blood tests.