Alcohol Withdrawal Hyperarousal

Alcohol withdrawal hyperarousal is the earliest showing and most common symptom of withdrawal. 

It includes irritability, anxiety, insomnia, inability to eat or loss of appetite, increased heart rate, and the shakes.  Attempts, for drunks, to avoid this condition usually consist of the morning drink or two.

Probably anyone who has been really drunk has experience some of these symptoms.  They just weren't as pronounced.  The most common way for regular people to experience it is by "sweating out" the toxins of the weekend on Monday.  Or those whose hands are" a little shakey" the next day.  But these are very mild symptoms compared to what the drunk experiences. Alcohol withdrawal hyperarousal will get worse as abstinence continues.  The alcoholic will startle easily, shake more violently and generally be amped up in a very unpleasant way.  This will last from 2 to 3 days and then things will get better.  Remember, the really bad withdrawal doesn't start until all the alcohol has left the body.  They may wake up after a long bender and be semi functional but, that is because all the alcohol isn't out of their system yet.  It can be 12 hours after they wake up before things get really nasty.  That is probably when all the alcohol has been processed out of their bodies.  Remember, drunks have a high tolerance to alcohol which allows them to consume much more than a normal person would or could.  Their liver, however, will only process it out at the same rate as everyone else's.  That's if their liver isn't damaged. Then it will be slower. So when a normal person wakes up the alcohol is probably gone or almost gone.  The drunk may still have quite a bit to process out. If the person doesn't get better after 2 or 3 days, of if they get worse, you will want medical help.  If they do get better they probably have nothing left to fear from detoxification.  Remember, it can be life threatening.

Raging Alcoholic