Learn / How Long Does it Take to Detox From Alcohol?
Key Points
When you’re ready to recover from alcohol addiction, detox is an important first step. Most people detox from alcohol in a week or less. During that process, you’ll likely experience withdrawal symptoms. These can be uncomfortable or even life-threatening—but they’re temporary. And in a medical detox program, your care team will keep you safe from any serious side effects. Proper treatment can set you up for success when you move on to the next phase of recovery.
Everyone’s alcohol withdrawal symptoms are a little different. Your experience will depend on a few factors, including how long and how much you’ve been drinking. About 50% of people with alcohol addiction1 have withdrawal symptoms when they start recovery. Within that group, 3-5% have severe symptoms that could be fatal. The first symptoms of withdrawal2 usually appear about 8 hours after your last drink:
Even mild alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be uncomfortable. Perhaps as a result, withdrawal symptoms can lead to relapse.3 Medically assisted detox provides a more comfortable withdrawal experience. You may still have symptoms, but your care team will help you manage them. Most programs include non-addictive medications, talk therapy, and some complementary treatments.
Withdrawal from severe alcohol addiction sometimes leads to delirium tremens4 (DTs, also referred to as DT), also called alcohol withdrawal delirium. While it’s not very common, this tends to affect people with chronically excessive drinking habits. This condition presents with a few key symptoms:
Without proper treatment, these symptoms can be fatal. Certain people are more at risk for DTs than others. If you have multiple addictions, abnormal liver function, a history of DTs, or a history of seizures, this condition is more likely. Certain short-term health issues can also increase your risk, like dehydration and low potassium levels.
Medical detox is extremely important for anyone with a risk of DTs—even a low one. In these programs, you’ll work with a team of doctors, nurses, and other experts. They can manage your symptoms with medication and offer round-the-clock care in case of emergency.
For some people, withdrawal-like symptoms last for weeks or even months after detox. This is called post-acute withdrawal syndrome, or PAWS. People experience PAWS differently, but the symptoms are often more psychological5 and less physical than those of acute withdrawal:
PAWS is often triggered by stress. Because PAWS can cause relapse,6 it’s important to have a treatment plan in place. With the right approach, you can manage your symptoms and continue to focus on recovery.
Most symptoms of alcohol withdrawal7 appear during the first few days after your last drink. However, the precise timeline for alcohol withdrawal is different for everyone. Depending on the severity of your addiction, your symptoms may be mild or more intense.
Withdrawal symptoms normally start within 6-8 hours after your last drink. You might have a headache or start sweating. You may also feel nauseous or nervous. For people with a long history of heavy drinking, it’s possible to have a seizure in the first 6-12 hours of withdrawal.
Mild symptoms continue to build in the first 24 hours of withdrawal. You might have tremors, particularly in your hands. Some people experience insomnia. For those with more severe withdrawal symptoms, hallucinations may start to occur in the first 24 hours. These can be visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations.
If you have only mild withdrawal symptoms, they may peak 24-48 hours after you stop drinking. From then on, symptoms like headaches, tremors, rapid heart rate, and nausea could decrease.
People with more severe symptoms might have seizures 48 hours into the detox process.
If your symptoms are more severe, they may also last longer. For some people, peak withdrawal occurs within 72 hours of quitting alcohol. After that point, you’ll probably start to feel better.
Other people are at risk for developing delirium tremens on the 3rd day of withdrawal, starting around 72 hours into detox. You might not know in advance whether this is a risk for you. This is why it’s so important to get proper care during alcohol detox. Your team can stand by during this crucial time, ready to help you if new symptoms develop.
Most people start to feel completely better around day 4 or 5 of detox. At this point, your body stops compensating for the lack of alcohol in your system. You’ll reach a new equilibrium as tremors, nausea, anxiety, and other symptoms subside. Most people complete withdrawal sometime between days 5-7.
If you experience delirium tremens, you may need more time to detox. Delirium tremens symptoms usually last 7 days, and sometimes longer.
You’ve got a few options for alcohol withdrawal treatment, including hospitals, medical detox centers, and rehab. Most detox programs follow similar treatment plans, though some provide more therapeutic support than others.
Treatment typically begins with a thorough physical exam. Doctors will ask about any pre-existing conditions that might impact your withdrawal experience. From there, you’ll begin detox.
Over the first few days, your medical team will monitor you closely. They might provide medication if you need it. If you don’t show any signs of withdrawal symptoms after 48-72 hours, you might be released to outpatient care or residential rehab. If you’re detoxing in rehab, you might progress to the next stage of treatment.
While it’s a vital part of recovery, detox is dangerous without medical care. In particular, withdrawal from alcohol8 can be fatal. 5-15%of people with delirium tremens die9 from their symptoms.
For some people, the fear of alcohol withdrawal symptoms10 is a barrier to treatment. Medical detox programs can keep you safe and as comfortable as possible while you detox.
How long alcohol stays in your system is unique for everyone. In most cases, acute withdrawal symptoms end after 5-7 days. You can go through this process in an onsite or offsite detox program. Most care plans include medical treatment, non-addictive prescriptions, and psychotherapy.
Some inpatient rehabs offer onsite detox. This approach lets you move seamlessly from initial detox into longer-term treatment. You can get medical and therapeutic support in the same place, instead of moving to a new center in the middle of treatment.
For example, at Noosa Confidential in Australia, clients stay in a waterfront retreat with 24-hour access to staff. Here, you’ll work with the same clinicians throughout detox and residential treatment.11 This consistency makes it easier to build trust with your care team.
In a program with offsite detox, you’ll go through withdrawal in a separate facility before you start inpatient care. For people with more severe withdrawal symptoms, more complex medical treatment might be necessary. With offsite detox, you can still transition smoothly into rehab when you’re ready.
The Beekeeper House in Thailand is an inpatient rehab with an offsite detox program. They work with their partner facility, The Warm, to determine the best plan of action for your detox.12 Many patients go through detox at The Warm before they start residential treatment. If you have more complex medical needs, you can transfer to their partner hospital in Chiang Mai before returning for rehab.
New Jersey’s Enlightened Recovery also has offsite detox as part of their flexible detox options.13 You can detox in their inpatient rehab, at one of their partner facilities, or an independent detox center before you start longer-term treatment.
Many detox centers accept insurance, including Medicaid. The cost of detox varies depending on the facility and the level of care you receive. Check with your insurance provider in advance to see what you plan will cover. Your treatment program’s admissions team can also offer guidance. There are options for everyone, even if you don’t have insurance. If you’re interested, you can learn more about alcohol detox and inpatient rehab programs that accept insurance.
Detox is an essential step in the healing process. Medical detox programs can help you start recovery as safely as possible. When you’re ready to start addiction treatment, you can find a rehab that offers alcohol detox.
Schuckit, Marc A. “Management of Withdrawal Delirium (Delirium Tremens).” The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 372, no. 6, Feb. 2015, pp. 580–81. escholarship.org, https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmc1415679.
Saitz R. Introduction to alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol Health Res World. 1998;22(1):5-12. PMID: 15706727; PMCID: PMC6761824.
Becker HC. Alcohol dependence, withdrawal, and relapse. Alcohol Res Health. 2008;31(4):348-61. PMID: 23584009; PMCID: PMC3860472.
Rahman A, Paul M. Delirium Tremens. [Updated 2022 Aug 22]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482134/
Bahji A, Crockford D, El-Guebaly N. Neurobiology and Symptomatology of Post-Acute Alcohol Withdrawal: A Mixed-Studies Systematic Review. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2022 Jul;83(4):461-469. doi: 10.15288/jsad.2022.83.461. PMID: 35838422; PMCID: PMC9798382.
Melemis SM. Relapse Prevention and the Five Rules of Recovery. Yale J Biol Med. 2015 Sep 3;88(3):325-32. PMID: 26339217; PMCID: PMC4553654.
Newman RK, Stobart Gallagher MA, Gomez AE. Alcohol Withdrawal. [Updated 2022 Aug 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441882/
Newman RK, Stobart Gallagher MA, Gomez AE. Alcohol Withdrawal. [Updated 2022 Aug 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441882/
Delirium Tremens (DTs): Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology. July 2022. eMedicine, https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/166032-overview#a7.
Hanpatchaiyakul K, Eriksson H, Kijsomporn J, Östlund G. Barriers to successful treatment of alcohol addiction as perceived by healthcare professionals in Thailand - a Delphi study about obstacles and improvement suggestions. Glob Health Action. 2016 Aug 3;9:31738. doi: 10.3402/gha.v9.31738. PMID: 27491962; PMCID: PMC4974495.
“Alchohol Private Programs.” Noosa Confidential, https://www.noosaconfidential.com.au/programs/alcohol/?utm_source=rehabpath&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=luxuryrehab. Accessed 31 May 2023.
Best Detox Programme in Thailand | Beekeeper House. 9 May 2022, https://beekeeperhouse.com/detox-programme/.
“Medical Detox.” Enlightened Solutions, https://enlightenedsolutions.com/programs/medical-detox/. Accessed 31 May 2023.
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