Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWithdrawal SymptomsTips for CopingDurationWhen to Get Help

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Withdrawal Symptoms

Tips for Coping

Duration

When to Get Help

People who beatdrug and alcohol addictionsfeel much better after they quit, but they typically endure a very difficult stage before they begin to feel better:withdrawal.

If you’ve usedalcohol,heroin,meth, or other substances for only a short time or have taken only small doses, you might not experience withdrawal. However, if you’ve beenbinge drinking, using alcohol and/or drugs for a long time, or taking increasingly higher doses over a short time, you might feel quite unwell physically for a while when you stop.

Withdrawalis not the same as a post-intoxicationhangoverthat people generally sleep off.

Common Symptoms of Withdrawal

Biological changes occur in your brain during withdrawal as your body seekshomeostasis, causing a mix of physical and emotional symptoms. You might experience some, all, or none of these, depending on the length and intensity of your addiction.

Depression

Although depressive symptoms feel worse than everyday sadness and can mimicclinical depression, they don’t usually last as long. You might experience:

You might even feel let down and disappointed that something that felt so good turned out to be harmful, and leaving such a big part of your life behind might feel like grieving.

Remember: These feelings are a normal part of the process. They’re temporary and last only a few days.

Anxiety

You might feel anxiety that’s worse than everyday nervousness—a bit like an unpleasant but short-livedanxiety disorder.

As with depression, some anxiety during withdrawal is to be expected. If you took a drug or drank alcohol to relax, you’re likely to feel tenser. Likewise, if you were essentially self-medicating, you might fear what is going to happen without your usual way of coping.

Physical symptoms of anxiety can make you feel as if something scary is happening. Your breathing and heart rate might increase, sometimes to the point where you feel you can’t catch your breath or that you’re having a heart attack, even though you’re not.

Mood Swings

Rapid fluctuations in mood are common during withdrawal. One minute, you might feel exhausted, as if life is no longer worth living; the next, you might feel the urge to run away because it feels like something awful is about to happen. This back-and-forth can be draining for both you and those around you.

Fatigue

As with anxiety and depression,fatigueis common and normal for people withdrawing from drugs and alcohol. Your body must recover from the damage that drugs and alcohol do, as well as from sleep deprivation, sleep disturbance, overstimulation, and other effects of addiction.

Fatigue is also a common symptom of depression and an after-effect of anxiety. You also might feel tired from the many thoughts and emotions that can overwhelm you when you don’t have alcohol or drugs to numb them.

How to Deal With Withdrawal Symptoms

Remember, your body is recalibrating and healing, so feeling physical and emotional changes is expected. Keep these tips in mind as you navigate the first days and weeks of your healthier lifestyle:

In Case of Emergency

How Long Does Withdrawal Last?

The duration of your withdrawal symptoms depends on the substance you used, along with the length and intensity of your addiction—typically, just a few days, but weeks or months in some cases.

What is Withdrawal and How Long Does it Last?

After the first week or two of withdrawal, your needs change. This is typically a good time to get treatment, which will help you understand why you drank or used drugs in the first place and help set you up for a life without alcohol or drugs. Some people can do this on their own, but many benefit from extra support during the first few months to avoidrelapse.

Occasionally, withdrawal symptoms go on for months, or they go away and then come back. This is known aspost-acute withdrawal syndrome(PAWS) and can occur withalcoholandother drugs.If it happens to you, talk to your doctor about getting more help.

If mood changes are severe, last longer than other withdrawal symptoms, or include thoughts of harming yourself or suicide, get help immediately. Contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988(or have someone do it for you) for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If mood changes are severe, last longer than other withdrawal symptoms, or include thoughts of harming yourself or suicide, get help immediately. Contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988(or have someone do it for you) for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

Final Thoughts

Facing depression, anxiety, and other emotional symptoms during withdrawal can be very difficult. Know that you are not weak; this is challenging for almost everyone. However, you won’t regret your decision once you come through withdrawal. The payoff is a healthier, happier, more productive lifestyle at home, work, and play.

SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ambrogne JA.Managing depressive symptoms in the context of abstinence: Findings from a qualitative study of women.Perspect Psychiatr Care.2007;43(2):84-92. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6163.2007.00115.xZorick T, Nestor L, Miotto K, et al.Withdrawal symptoms in abstinent methamphetamine-dependent subjects.Addiction. 2010;105(10):1809-1018. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03066.x

Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ambrogne JA.Managing depressive symptoms in the context of abstinence: Findings from a qualitative study of women.Perspect Psychiatr Care.2007;43(2):84-92. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6163.2007.00115.xZorick T, Nestor L, Miotto K, et al.Withdrawal symptoms in abstinent methamphetamine-dependent subjects.Addiction. 2010;105(10):1809-1018. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03066.x

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Ambrogne JA.Managing depressive symptoms in the context of abstinence: Findings from a qualitative study of women.Perspect Psychiatr Care.2007;43(2):84-92. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6163.2007.00115.xZorick T, Nestor L, Miotto K, et al.Withdrawal symptoms in abstinent methamphetamine-dependent subjects.Addiction. 2010;105(10):1809-1018. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03066.x

Ambrogne JA.Managing depressive symptoms in the context of abstinence: Findings from a qualitative study of women.Perspect Psychiatr Care.2007;43(2):84-92. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6163.2007.00115.x

Zorick T, Nestor L, Miotto K, et al.Withdrawal symptoms in abstinent methamphetamine-dependent subjects.Addiction. 2010;105(10):1809-1018. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2010.03066.x

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?