How Long Does it Take to Detox From Alcohol?

When you’re ready to recover from alcohol addiction, detox is an important first step. Most people detox from alcohol in a week or less. During that process, you’ll likely experience withdrawal symptoms. These can be uncomfortable or even life-threatening—but they’re temporary. And in a medical detox program, your care team will keep you safe from any serious side effects. Proper treatment can set you up for success when you move on to the next phase of recovery.

Symptoms of Alcohol Withdrawal

Everyone’s alcohol withdrawal symptoms are a little different. Your experience will depend on a few factors, including how long and how much you’ve been drinking. About 50% of people with alcohol addiction¹ have withdrawal symptoms when they start recovery. Within that group, 3-5% have severe symptoms that could be fatal. The first symptoms of withdrawal² usually appear about 8 hours after your last drink:

• Alcohol cravings
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Nightmares
• Tremors
• Headaches
• Nausea and vomiting

Even mild alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be uncomfortable. Perhaps as a result, withdrawal symptoms can lead to relapse.³ Medically assisted detox provides a more comfortable withdrawal experience. You may still have symptoms, but your care team will help you manage them. Most programs include non-addictive medications, talk therapy, and some complementary treatments. 

Delirium Tremens

Withdrawal from severe alcohol addiction sometimes leads to delirium tremens⁴ (DTs, also referred to as DT), also called alcohol withdrawal delirium. While it’s not very common, this tends to affect people with chronically excessive drinking habits. This condition presents with a few key symptoms:

• Hallucinations
• Confusion
• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated body temperature
• Agitation or aggressive behavior
• Seizures 

Without proper treatment, these symptoms can be fatal. Certain people are more at risk for DTs than others. If you have multiple addictions, abnormal liver function, a history of DTs, or a history of seizures, this condition is more likely. Certain short-term health issues can also increase your risk, like dehydration and low potassium levels.

Medical detox is extremely important for anyone with a risk of DTs—even a low one. In these programs, you’ll work with a team of doctors, nurses, and other experts. They can manage your symptoms with medication and offer round-the-clock care in case of emergency.

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS)

For some people, withdrawal-like symptoms last for weeks or even months after detox. This is called post-acute withdrawal syndrome, or PAWS. People experience PAWS differently, but the symptoms are often more psychological⁵ and less physical than those of acute withdrawal:

• Mood swings
• Brain fog
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Lack of motivation
• Decreased sex drive
• Memory or concentration issues

PAWS is often triggered by stress. Because PAWS can cause relapse,⁶ it’s important to have a treatment plan in place. With the right approach, you can manage your symptoms and continue to focus on recovery. 

Stages of Alcohol Withdrawal

Most symptoms of alcohol withdrawal⁷ appear during the first few days after your last drink. However, the precise timeline for alcohol withdrawal is different for everyone. Depending on the severity of your addiction, your symptoms may be mild or more intense.

6-12 Hours

Withdrawal symptoms normally start within 6-8 hours after your last drink. You might have a headache or start sweating. You may also feel nauseous or nervous. For people with a long history of heavy drinking, it’s possible to have a seizure in the first 6-12 hours of withdrawal.

12-24 Hours

Mild symptoms continue to build in the first 24 hours of withdrawal. You might have tremors, particularly in your hands. Some people experience insomnia. For those with more severe withdrawal symptoms, hallucinations may start to occur in the first 24 hours. These can be visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations.

24-48 Hours

If you have only mild withdrawal symptoms, they may peak 24-48 hours after you stop drinking. From then on, symptoms like headaches, tremors, rapid heart rate, and nausea could decrease. 

People with more severe symptoms might have seizures 48 hours into the detox process. 

48-96 Hours

If your symptoms are more severe, they may also last longer. For some people, peak withdrawal occurs within 72 hours of quitting alcohol. After that point, you’ll probably start to feel better.

Other people are at risk for developing delirium tremens on the 3rd day of withdrawal, starting around 72 hours into detox. You might not know in advance whether this is a risk for you. This is why it’s so important to get proper care during alcohol detox. Your team can stand by during this crucial time, ready to help you if new symptoms develop. 

96 Hours and Beyond

Most people start to feel completely better around day 4 or 5 of detox. At this point, your body stops compensating for the lack of alcohol in your system. You’ll reach a new equilibrium as tremors, nausea, anxiety, and other symptoms subside. Most people complete withdrawal sometime between days 5-7.

If you experience delirium tremens, you may need more time to detox. Delirium tremens symptoms usually last 7 days, and sometimes longer.