Local Recovery Center Explains Alcohol Tremors

Greenland, New Hampshire – New Hampshire’s Addiction Recovery Services, a facility dedicated to helping people overcome substance use disorders, recently released a blog detailing how long alcohol tremors last. It also provides some background on how they emerge.

The blog opens by sharing a statistic: “Almost 20% of adults in New Hampshire report binge drinking in the past month.” Long-term drinking can cause someone to go through alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol tremors are a part of alcohol withdrawal, which can start as soon as eight hours after someone’s last drink, the blog shares. The blog estimates the time tremors will last from two to ten days. The blog instructs anyone experiencing alcohol tremors to keep an eye out for any other symptoms that emerge alongside them, because they can be a sign of something more serious. Addiction Recovery Services advises individuals going through withdrawal to find a friend to be a second pair of eyes for tracking their withdrawal symptoms. That way, any person experiencing withdrawal will also have someone to help them should symptoms worsen. It also briefly shares some tips for managing tremors, such as regular exercise, staying hydrated, and avoiding caffeine.

“The severity of withdrawals can vary from person to person based on many factors such as age, metabolism, other substances you consume, and even what kind of drinks they normally partake in. Severe withdrawals, like tremors, are typically more common in those who drink heavily,” the article explains. It says withdrawal symptoms are most common in those who drink a lot of alcohol every day for a long period of time. It even offers an estimate of how much alcohol is needed to cause alcohol tremors: four to five pints of wine, seven to eight pints of beer, and one pint of “hard” alcohol.

The blog warns that although alcohol tremors can be a common symptom of alcohol withdrawal, they can be a precursor to something more serious, known as delirium tremens. The blog offers a list of symptoms of delirium tremens to look out for. Deep sleep that lasts for days, sudden and severe confusion, hallucinations, irritability, fatigue, sudden mood changes, restlessness, and seizures are all symptoms of delirium tremens. Light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and sensitivity to touch are also involved. “Symptoms can worsen quickly once they start developing, and normally peak in the first 3 days after your last drink. If you start noticing symptoms of delirium tremens, you should seek medical help,” the blog says. As an aside, the article mentions withdrawal symptoms that are unrelated to delirium tremens too, like nausea, pale skin, loss of appetite, sweating, and heart palpitations.

Addiction Recovery Services ends their article with a call for anyone experiencing alcohol withdrawal to seek treatment for an alcohol use disorder. They cite medication-assisted treatment (MAT) as a promising option to curb cravings and help anyone with an alcohol use disorder fully focus on their recovery.

Addiction Recovery Services has discovered a better way to treat people. They provide care for those living with substance use disorders in New Hampshire, offering a harm-reduction approach to treatment where they focus on the person, not the problem. Addiction Recovery Services’ intensive outpatient program provides flexibility for those working or in school, and they offer mental health programming alongside treatment for substance use disorders. For more information, call Addiction Recovery Services at 978-228-5853, or visit their website.