Your doctor may personally oversee your alcohol withdrawal, or he or she may refer you to an inpatient or outpatient treatment facility. Whatever recovery option you choose, it is important to have medical supervision. Regardless of whether medical care is needed to stop the shakes, it is important to also follow-up for ongoing alcohol treatment after tremors and other withdrawal symptoms pass.

Withdrawal symptoms may be impacted by co-occurring mental or physical health conditions. As mentioned above, tremors, also known as “alcohol shakes”, are a common side effect of alcohol withdrawal. In simple terms, these are fits of involuntary shaking that occur in a person’s body, either centralized to one area or throughout the whole body. Alcohol shakes can happen from both alcohol withdrawal and from excessive alcohol consumption. DTs are severe, potentially deadly, symptoms that may include a racing heart, profuse sweating, confusion, vivid hallucinations and delusions.

Alcohol Shakes: What They Are & How to Get Rid of Them

Alcohol withdrawal shakes can be scary, but reducing your stress and anxiety can help quite a bit. While they normally go away on their own, if your shakes are severe or don’t stop, talk to your doctor right away. Just be cautious when starting a new medication since it’s very easy to get addicted to withdrawal medications, especially when you’re quitting alcohol. To reduce your stress during withdrawal, try doing some light exercise, like going for a walk or riding your bike.

• The answer to this question depends on context but, just because a person experiences shaking does not mean they meet the criteria for AUD.
• While we’ll address that further down, it’s important to mention that, during detox, the alcohol shakes will usually increase in intensity.
• And as the brain tries to adjust to a lack of alcohol in its system after a long period of drinking, a variety of neurological problems can arise.
• When in doubt, you should always seek support from a medical professional, as alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous.
• Our staff is prepared to help you focus on your physical health, so the detox process is as comfortable as possible.

Moving forward, you may also need to go to patient and family counseling to discuss your alcoholism. For someone with moderate-to-severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms, inpatient treatment will likely be the best option. Inpatient treatment is when you are treated at a hospital or another professional setting that specifically handles alcohol withdrawal.

More Questions about Treatment?

It’s estimated that about 4-5 percent of people undergoing alcohol withdrawal experience the DTs. Even side effects like vomiting and sweating can contribute to dangerous dehydration, which can be deadly. Because of this, detoxification from alcohol should always be done under medical supervision. shaking from alcohol Side effects from alcohol withdrawal range from mild to severe, and some are life-threatening. Typical withdrawal side effects include sweating, anxiety, insomnia, headache, nausea, vomiting, and tremors. Side effects like hallucinations, seizures, and delirium tremens (DTs) are also possible.