Alcohol withdrawal timeline
When it starts, when it peaks, when it's dangerous and when it eases. The ranges are wide, so use this as a map, not a schedule.
If you’re reading this at 3 a.m. with shaky hands, start with the box below. Everything else can wait.
Call emergency services or go to the emergency room if you have a seizure, confusion, hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there), severe shaking, fever or an irregular heartbeat. Don’t drive yourself. if you need a person to talk to first.
The short answer
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms usually start 6 to 12 hours after your last drink and last for 3 to 7 days (NHS). They typically peak between 24 and 72 hours (MedlinePlus). A small number of people develop serious complications, such as seizures or delirium tremens, and those have their own timing, covered below.
These are ranges, not schedules. Your own timeline depends on how much you drank, for how long, your health and whether you’ve been through withdrawal before.
The timeline
- Symptoms begin6 h to 12 h · NHS
- Usual peak24 h to day 3 · MedlinePlus
- Seizure window8 h to day 2 · StatPearls
- Delirium tremens, if it happensday 3 to day 5 · StatPearls
- Most symptoms settleday 3 to day 7 · NHS, 3 to 7 days
| When | What’s common | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| 6 to 12 hours | Anxiety, restlessness, shakiness, sweating, nausea, headache, trouble sleeping (NHS) | Symptoms that escalate quickly |
| 8 to 48 hours | Symptoms build | Seizures are most likely in this window (StatPearls) |
| 24 to 72 hours | Symptoms typically peak (MedlinePlus). Racing heart, high anxiety, sweating, vivid dreams | Confusion, hallucinations, fever, severe shaking |
| Around 3 to 5 days | For most people, easing | Delirium tremens typically begins in this window, sometimes later (StatPearls) |
| 3 to 7 days | Most symptoms settle (NHS) | Symptoms that get worse, not better |
| Weeks 2 to 4 | Poor sleep, low mood, fatigue and cravings are common | Heavy or persistent low mood, thoughts of self-harm |
| Months | Sleep and mood usually settle. Some symptoms can last for months in some people (MedlinePlus) | Anything that interferes with daily life |
Hour by hour
Hours 6 to 12
This is the typical start (NHS). Expect some mix of anxiety, shakiness, sweating, a headache, an upset stomach and difficulty settling. Eat something small, drink water, and tell someone how you’re doing.
Hours 12 to 24
Symptoms are building. Sleep is hard, so you may be awake through the night. If you’re going to have a seizure, this window is the beginning of the highest-risk period.
Hours 24 to 72
The peak (MedlinePlus). For many people this is the hardest stretch: heart racing, strong anxiety, shaking, sweating, intense dreams when you do sleep. This is when having someone with you matters most.
Days 3 to 5
For most people symptoms start to ease. But this is also when delirium tremens typically begins in those who develop it (StatPearls): severe confusion, hallucinations, fever and a racing heart. If you feel worse on day three than on day one, that is a reason to get help, not wait.
Beyond the first week
The acute stage is over for most people after 3 to 7 days. What follows is slower:
- Sleep often stays disturbed for some weeks.
- Mood can swing between flat and anxious.
- Fatigue comes and goes.
- Cravings become waves rather than constants.
Some of this can hang around for months in some people (MedlinePlus). If that’s you, you’re not doing it wrong. If it’s heavy, call a helpline or tell someone you trust.
For what changes in your body over those months, see what happens when you stop drinking alcohol.
How the timeline can differ
Your own timeline can run earlier, later, shorter or longer than the table:
- Heavier, longer drinking is linked with more severe withdrawal.
- Previous withdrawals matter. A history of seizures or delirium tremens raises the risk of serious withdrawal (StatPearls and NICE both list it).
- Other conditions and other substances (including benzodiazepines) change the picture.
If you’ve had a hard withdrawal before, don’t assume this one will be the same, either easier or harder. Check the safety note at the end of this page before you stop.
What helps along the way
- Don’t do the first 72 hours alone if you can help it.
- Eat small and often, and keep fluids going.
- Rest. Lie down, even if you can’t sleep.
- Don’t mix withdrawal with sedatives, sleeping pills or other people’s medication.
- If it gets worse, call. The rule isn’t to be brave. It’s to be early.
- In the long middle, Ease has tools for cravings and a minute of guided breathing, and Today keeps your days simple.
Who should see a doctor before stopping
If you drink heavily and daily, or you’ve ever had withdrawal seizures or delirium tremens, ask a doctor before you stop.
Keep reading in this guide
- The benefits of quitting sorts what is well supported from what is not.
- Sleep, mood and energy explains why they wobble before they settle.
- Weight after quitting looks at what the evidence says about your weight.
- Withdrawal symptoms lists what is common and what is an emergency.
- How your body recovers goes through liver, brain, blood pressure and long-term risk.
When do alcohol withdrawal symptoms peak?
Symptoms typically peak 24 to 72 hours after the last drink (MedlinePlus). They can then improve, although in some people they last longer.
When do seizures happen in alcohol withdrawal?
Withdrawal seizures most often come between 8 and 48 hours after the last drink (StatPearls). A seizure is an emergency.
When do delirium tremens start?
Delirium tremens typically appears around 3 to 5 days after the last drink, sometimes later (StatPearls). It is a medical emergency.
What is the worst day of alcohol withdrawal?
For many people the second and third days are the hardest, when symptoms usually peak. For a minority, serious complications appear later, around days 3 to 5.
Can withdrawal symptoms start after a few days?
Delirium tremens can start a few days in. Milder symptoms usually start within hours. If you feel worse on day three than on day one, get medical help.
Sources
- Alcohol-use disorder (NHS) · NHS, last reviewed April 2026
- Alcohol withdrawal (MedlinePlus) · U.S. National Library of Medicine, reviewed January 2025
- Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome (StatPearls) · Canver, Newman and Gomez, updated February 2024
- Harmful drinking and alcohol dependence: advice from recent NICE guidelines · O'Flynn, British Journal of General Practice, 2011
We check these when we update a page. See how we write and check on the editorial policy.
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The First Hour isn't medical advice, and we're not doctors. This is writing grounded in research by people who got sober and wanted to share what helped. It's not treatment, diagnosis, or a substitute for a doctor, therapist, or recovery program. Alcohol withdrawal can be medically dangerous. If you're detoxing, struggling, or in crisis, please reach out to a medical professional or a helpline.