Annex 3: alcohol withdrawal symptoms
A summary of common alcohol withdrawal symptoms and serious complications of alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol treatment staff should be able to understand and recognise the signs of alcohol withdrawal.
People who are mildly dependent may experience some milder symptoms of alcohol withdrawal including:
- sweating
- nausea
- shaking (mild tremor)
Generally, people experiencing these milder symptoms do not require medical treatment. However, those who are moderately or severely alcohol dependent will develop acute alcohol withdrawal syndrome when they abruptly stop or substantially reduce their alcohol consumption. This can lead to severe complications requiring an urgent pharmacological response.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guideline Alcohol-use disorders: diagnosis, assessment and management of harmful drinking (high-risk drinking) and alcohol dependence (CG115 full guideline) (PDF, 10.7MB) notes that common symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
- tremor
- nausea
- sweating
- headache
- mood disturbance including anxiety and agitation
- disturbed sleep pattern
- hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound)
- hyperthermia (increased body temperature)
- tachycardia (increased pulse rate)
- increased respiratory rate
- tactile and visual disturbances (itching, burning and double or blurry vision)
The alcohol guidelines development group notes that serious complications of alcohol withdrawal include:
- seizures (fits)
- auditory and visual hallucinations
- delirium tremens (severe shaking, agitation, fever, tachycardia, profound confusion, delusions and hallucinations)
- Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (short and long term memory problems, impaired eye movements or unsteady walking)
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be life threatening in severe cases, requiring urgent medical attention.
You can find guidance on managing the symptoms and complications of alcohol withdrawal in the chapter 10 on pharmacological interventions.