How Long Does Alcohol Detox Take?

If you’re thinking about stopping drinking, you probably want to know how long it takes and how bad it gets. It varies from person to person, and for some people it’s dangerous. Below is the typical timeline, whether you’re looking into alcohol detox in Panama City for yourself or helping someone else decide.

The Timeline

Withdrawal is counted from your last drink. These are typical ranges from medical sources. Your own experience may start earlier or later, and you should consult a doctor if you are going to stop drinking as a regular drinker.

  • 6 to 8 hours: The first symptoms usually appear. They include anxiety, shaky hands, sweating, a racing heart, headache, upset stomach, and trouble sleeping. In some very heavy drinkers, symptoms can take up to 24 hours to start.
  • 6 to 48 hours: Seizures can happen. MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine’s health site, says they usually occur in the first 12 to 48 hours. Some people also see or hear things that aren’t there, while staying otherwise clear-headed.
  • 24 to 48 hours: Withdrawal usually peaks. Symptoms can include nausea, irritability, high blood pressure, fever, heavy sweating, and stronger shakiness.
  • 48 to 96 hours: This is when delirium tremens, or DTs, tend to begin in the people who develop them. It involves confusion, hallucinations, fever, and a racing heart. DTs can last up to two weeks.

For milder withdrawal, symptoms typically last up to 72 hours after they start. Severe withdrawal can last considerably longer.

The Dangerous Part

Not everyone who stops drinking develops DTs, but doctors can’t predict with certainty who will. One professional fact sheet puts the death rate among people who develop DTs at 5 to 8 percent, most often from heart rhythm problems or other medical conditions made worse by withdrawal. It also says about one in three people whose seizures go untreated go on to develop DTs.

MedlinePlus calls delirium tremens “an emergency condition.” If someone who has stopped drinking is confused, hallucinating, running a fever, or having a seizure, call 911.

Who Is at Higher Risk

The risk is higher for people who:

  • Have had withdrawal before, especially with seizures
  • Have been drinking heavily every day for several months
  • Have been drinking for more than 10 years
  • Have a head injury, infection, or another illness while stopping
  • Aren’t eating well

If any of that sounds like you, stopping on your own is a bigger gamble.

Going Through It at Home

Some people get through withdrawal at home. The trouble is that you can’t predict things. Someone who has been drinking daily for years and has quit before may assume it will go the same way again. But a history of withdrawal is one of the risk factors, and an easy time before doesn’t promise an easy time now.

A good rule is to talk to a doctor before you stop if you drink every day or have had withdrawal symptoms before. A doctor can tell you whether you can safely do it at home or whether you need monitoring.

Inside a Supervised Detox

A medically supervised detox is built for the part of the timeline above that’s hard to manage alone. Staff keep track of your vital signs, blood pressure, and fluids, and watch for the early warning signs of seizures or DTs. Medication can ease anxiety and tremors and treat seizures. If symptoms turn serious, there are people there who know what to do. You are also not alone with your cravings.

After Detox

Detox gets you through withdrawal. Treatment afterward deals with the drinking itself: why it started, what keeps it going, and how to stay sober once you’re home. Many people go straight from detox into a program that includes counseling and support.

Our residential program for drug and alcohol rehab is in Panama City, and we take calls from people in Bay County and across the Florida Panhandle at every stage, including people who haven’t decided anything yet.