To compensate for the sedative effects of alcohol, the brain releases more excitatory neurotransmitters than normal, which ramps up nerve activity and keeps the body in a more awake state. These changes in brain chemistry are part of the reason why long-term heavy drinkers often don’t appear drunk. The recovery process doesn’t end after 90 days of treatment. The transition back to life outside of rehab is fraught with the potential for relapse. Sober House Aftercare resources such as 12-step groups, sober living homes and support for family and friends promote a life rich with rewarding relationships and meaning. Each day, take time to revisit your recovery goals and the reasons you decided to stop using alcohol. After discharge from treatment, follow-up aftercare is vital for successful long-term recovery. Addicted individuals often express feelings of anxiety, fear, and stress.

Fatty liver disease, an early stage of alcohol-related liver disease. It occurs when fat collects in the liver because the organ can’t perform optimally. It has very few symptoms, but some people experience right-side discomfort. It’s essential to seek medical attention during alcohol withdrawal, especially after heavy, long-term use. There are a number of evidence-based and clinically proven addiction treatment alcohol shakes and tremors options to combat alcohol use disorders. The shakiness can be due to how your nervous system responds to the stress of the hangover. Low blood sugar can also contribute to tremors and shakes after drinking a lot and not eating and maintaining good hydration. Three medications are FDA-approved for alcohol use disorder treatment, so your doctor can provide them to ease cravings and lower relapse risks.

Liver Disease

If one doesn’t stop the alcohol abuse, this damage becomes permanent. Can be life-threatening, and it’s crucial to both be aware of them, and discuss potential risks with your healthcare provider. While HE can also result in coma and death, fortunately, the condition can usually be resolved with treatment. According to research, around half of all patients with liver cirrhosis die within one year of their first episode of HE, and 80% die alcohol shakes and tremors of liver failure within five years. If you find yourself struggling with relapse, please reach out to someone in your support system or sponsor. Relapse affects approximately 40-60% of recovering individuals. It’s crucial to maintain a routine and hobbies to occupy the time that would otherwise be spent on drinking. Try avoiding individuals who will enable you to drink as your environment should reflect the life you want to live.

• Because of this, detoxification from alcohol should always be done under medical supervision.
• When the intake of alcohol suddenly ceases, the brain continues to deliver increased nerve activity, leading to tremors, anxiety, hyperactivity, and other withdrawal symptoms.
• Individual therapies are common in addiction recovery, so you should have an opportunity to seek the root cause of your addiction.
• It occurs when fat collects in the liver because the organ can’t perform optimally.
• Even if it has only been 8 hours since your last drink, symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can manifest themselves in the form of shakes and tremors.
• If you notice that you develop shakiness or tremors when you do not drink, this can be a very concerning sign of alcohol dependence and one should seek medical attention.

Tremors usually begin within 5 to 10 hours after someone’s last drink. They can also be severe and interfere with normal functioning. Severe liver damage can include scarring and cirrhosis of the liver, which is unfortunately irreversible. Clinical surveyors and doctors are still trying to nail down what commonalities alcohol users share with others who have developed DTs. Alcohol intoxication can cause dehydration and electrolyte abnormalities which can cause the sensation of shakiness/tremors. This tends to resolve once the individual rehydrates and eats. All Alcoholrehabhelp content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible. Damage to the cerebellum caused by alcohol can lead to an intention tremor. It is most noticeable when someone makes a purposeful move towards an item or object. However, the intention tremor may also be noticed without movement.

Phase 1 (5–12 hours after the last drink)

Remember to practice self-compassion as social drinking is still prevalent throughout society. Over time, alcohol use disorder can lead to many severe symptoms, including the shakes. The alcohol shakes, also known as alcohol tremors, are often a sign of both alcohol withdrawal and a chemical dependency on alcohol. Alcohol-related dehydration/malnutrition, brain damage, withdrawal, and liver damage can all cause tremors. Some alcohol-related tremors are temporary and will fade with time and/or treatment. And a few forms of alcohol tremors, particularly in the setting of alcohol withdrawal, can be a sign of severe alcohol withdrawal which can be life-threatening. Shaking that occurs when you go without a drink for several hours can mean you have a physical dependence on alcohol and are suffering from withdrawal. Less commonly, it can be sign a of brain damage or liver disease.

Inadequate sleep can make tremors and other withdrawal symptoms worse. Once you stop using alcohol, it may take several months to regain a normal sleep pattern. Meanwhile, practicing the stress management techniques discussed above can be key to more quickly enjoying healthy sleep. Co-occurring disorders are treated at the same time as alcohol recovery treatment. Withdrawal symptoms may be impacted by co-occurring mental or physical health conditions. When you stop drinking, if only for a few hours, you might experience trembling along with other side effects. This trembling is known as alcohol shakes and usually occurs in the hands. If you are addicted to alcohol, you might think that alcohol shakes are a normal part of your routine and will end when you are able to get your next drink.

Brain Damage

Delirium tremens is among the most severe and potentially life-threatening symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. As the name suggests, the signs of delirium tremens include confusion, disorientation, fever, high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and drenching sweats. It is estimated that approximately half of persons with a history of alcohol abuse or prolonged heavy drinking will experience withdrawal symptoms. Individuals with chronic liver disease from drinking, often called cirrhosis, can have a build up of a chemical called ammonia in the bloodstream, which can cause chronic shaking of the hands. While this symptom can be improved and treated with a medication called Lactulose, it may be a worrisome sign of liver failure and may require lifelong treatment. At The Woods at Parkside, we offer a comprehensive addiction treatment plan that begins with medically-supervised detox. Prolonged liver disease results in several risks and complications.

As a result, you may experience uncontrollable shaking after drinking. Shaking from drinking alcohol can happen as soon as eight hours after your last drink. The severity of these symptoms depends greatly on the amount of alcohol you consume and how often you drink. For people who engage in heavy drinking frequently , shaking after drinking alcohol is a common side effect. What’s more, even if you don’t consider yourself an alcoholic, experiencing tremors from alcohol consumption can indicate tolerance and physical dependence, and thus a more serious problem. Shaking when drinking alcohol can also occur as a result of binge drinking, which is when someone drinks a large amount of alcohol within two hours. Binge drinking can cause “hangover shakes,” and you may feel your hands or your whole body tremor, depending on how much alcohol you consumed. Tremors and shakiness are common early symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

The more people in your personal network that you trust to support your journey, the more likely you are to be successful. Some people swear by eating a big, greasy breakfast after drinking, but that’s not always a wise idea, especially if you’re already feeling a bit queasy. Instead, try eating some bland, easy-on-the-stomach foods like crackers, broth, or toast. Your sympathetic nervous system deals with responses to stress, which includes things like sweating, increased heart rate, and — you guessed it — shakes or tremors. When you drink alcohol, your body responds by decreasing the number or sensitivity of receptors that bind to the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid . It simultaneously increases the number or sensitivity of receptors that bind to glutamate, another neurotransmitter, in a bid to counter the sedative effects of alcohol.

While studies have shown baclofen may be effective in reducing symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, including tremors, it is an “off-label” use of the drug at this time. Once a recovering alcoholic has completely detoxed, tremors will usually resolve. However, long-term alcohol abuse can cause brain, nerve, and liver damage, which may result in permanent tremors. Delirium tremens is a component of alcohol withdrawal hypothesized to be the result of compensatory changes in response to chronic heavy alcohol use. This combined with desensitization of alpha-2 adrenergic receptors, results in a homeostatic upregulation of these systems in chronic alcohol use. When alcohol use ceases, the unregulated mechanisms result in hyperexcitability of neurons as natural GABAergic systems are down-regulated and excitatory glutamatergic systems are unregulated. This combined with increased noradrenergic activity results in the symptoms of delirium tremens. If delirium tremens occurs, aggressive treatment improves outcomes. Treatment in a quiet intensive care unit with sufficient light is often recommended. Benzodiazepines are the medication of choice with diazepam, lorazepam, chlordiazepoxide, and oxazepam all commonly used.

Causes of Alcohol Shakes and Tremors

During medically monitored alcohol detox, a patient can expect to receive treatment at a hospital, detox center, or inpatient residence. Medication may be provided for those with pre-existing conditions and to alleviate the unsettling withdrawal symptoms. For example, staff might prescribe a benzodiazepine such as Xanax to a patient experiencing anxiety and restlessness during detox. The severity of alcohol addiction can play a significant role in the next steps towards potential treatment. Those with severe alcohol addiction can manifest a buffet of health complications that might require medical supervision. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the World Health Organization reported that alcohol contributed to 200 diseases and injury-related health conditions. This is responsible for the appearance of symptoms and signs identified with alcohol withdrawal, such as tachycardia, tremors, and even seizures or delirium tremens. We examined 100 alcoholics who had had no alcohol for more than 21 days, 100 controls, and 50 patients with essential tremor. Three percent of the controls and 47% of the alcoholics had a postural tremor.

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 are also possible. Having the alcohol shakes, or tremors, is not the same as the DTs.