If medical treatment for a substance use disorder is the next step, you may also benefit from seeking support from friends and family. They may be able to see aspects of the problem that you have not noticed. They also may be able to support your decision to get treatment by helping with costs, transportation, childcare, or other logistics.
- The most severe of these complications is the progression into Korsakoff’s psychosis.
- The timeline and intensity vary depending on drinking patterns, overall health, and individual factors.
- If you’re facing detox, one of the biggest sources of anxiety is the unknown.
Surprising Things That Happen to Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol

Moderating your alcohol consumption or abstaining can significantly reduce the risk of developing Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Ask your doctor for a referral to an addiction treatment specialist or visit a local alcohol recovery center for help controlling your drinking. Over time, the body becomes dependent on the presence of drugs or alcohol to maintain chemical balance. When substance use suddenly stops, the body struggles to reestablish that balance, triggering a range of withdrawal symptoms, which we commonly refer to as the side effects of detoxing.

The first few days:
- Alcohol acts as a sedative, so when you take it away, the body goes into a heightened state of alertness.
- People may want to try a bedwetting alarm, which sounds when the alarm detects wetness.
- Early symptoms include anxiety, tremors, and insomnia, while more severe manifestations such as seizures and delirium tremens occur within 48 to 96 hours.
- There’s no single test for WKS, so healthcare providers rely on a combination of clinical tools to make an accurate diagnosis.
Digestive health Drug rehabilitation improves as the stomach lining heals, and energy levels stabilize. Psychological symptoms intensify with increased anxiety, panic attacks, and concentration difficulties. “In the first week, I didn’t realize how much energy alcohol was stealing from me, emotionally and physically.
Common Physical Withdrawal Symptoms
If there are any concerns about content we have published, please reach out to us at In addition to affecting ADH levels, alcohol can also negatively impact the detrusor muscle located in the bladder wall, which plays a role in signaling a need to pee. When inhibitions are lowered and bodily signals are obscured by alcohol, it can be easy for you to miss this alcohol detox side effects kind of sign.
Hear from real Thrive members about their experience with naltrexone and success in the program. Early intervention is the best way to increase the body’s ability to restore normal function. This transition is important for preventing relapse and building coping strategies for sustained sobriety.

Improving sleep quality
Your own experience will depend on many factors, but this timeline helps set realistic expectations for the physical challenges ahead. Once you cross the 12-hour mark and head toward the 48-hour point, the symptoms tend to get louder. While the intensity of symptoms can depend on many factors, the core biological mechanism is the same for everyone going through it. If you’ve been drinking heavily for a while, your central nervous system has learned to live with a constant depressant. To keep things running, it ramps up its own stimulating chemicals just to maintain a sense of normal. Imagine holding a beach ball underwater; you have to apply constant downward pressure to keep it submerged.
While bedwetting is quite common in children, it can also be found in adults, but in rare cases. In a study carried out, the overall prevalence of primary nocturnal enuresis in adults was placed at 2.3%. Primary nocturnal enuresis occurs in children or adults who have never had a dry night for six consecutive months. Secondary nocturnal enuresis is seen in children or adults who have had a complete 6-month duration of dry nights before wetting the bed again. Contact Nova Recovery Center today for more information on our individualized drug and alcohol addiction recovery program.


