Hangover Shakes: Why They Happen and When to Worry

What you eat and drink can also make a big difference in how your body copes with alcohol withdrawal. This helps to flush the toxins out of your system and keeps your body hydrated. Foods that are high in protein and vitamins can help to boost your energy levels and support your recovery.

Alcohol also decreases another neurotransmitter, glutamate, that creates excitability. Alcohol is commonly used as a stimulant and a sedative, depending upon the dose ingested and the previous habits of the individual. It acts by depressing the central nervous system (CNS) via facilitation of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This tilts the balance between the excitatory chemical glutamate and the inhibitory molecule GABA, resulting in reduced excitability of the brain and spinal cord.

Does Drinking Too Much Alcohol Make You Shake?

During detox, you will learn to overcome your cravings and better manage the withdrawal symptoms that ensue. It is here that providers will determine what if any medications you need to assist you in this process. Once https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/celebrating-the-first-year-sober/ you have completed detox, you are well on your way to recovery. Addicted individuals often express feelings of anxiety, fear, and stress. These negative emotions can intensify withdrawal symptoms like tremors.

After consuming alcohol, it is not uncommon to experience a period of shakiness. How long this shaking lasts depends on the individual and the amount of alcohol consumed. In most cases, if you are only slightly buzzed or tipsy, your trembling should stop within a few minutes. By answering these questions, you can usually gauge the severity of the shakes. Someone that’s been shaking for a year—in a way that’s noticeable to others—is going to have a different experience treating the shakes than someone who only just noticed a slight tremor. In which case, let’s first address the patient who does not have a history of alcohol abuse, nor do they suffer from AUD.

When should someone see a doctor for shaky hands?

As the brain restores balance and regulates without the influence of alcohol, usually the anxiety subsides which lessens the severity of alcohol shakes. This anxiety is often the exact problem the AUD sufferer wishes to remedy, choosing alcohol as medicine. Being that this anxiety usually underlines the disorder, it too can produce tremors. This is amplified if the alcoholic is abstaining (we’re speaking mostly towards the initial period of detox here). It’s likely that you’re aware of the stigma that comes with being an alcoholic. It’s been written about in countless novels, highlighted in many films we know and love, and chances are you’ve experienced AUD (Alcohol Use Disorder) firsthand or through someone close to you.

The fact that ET often gets better after you drink alcohol can be useful if your doctor is trying to find out what type of tremor you have. If your ET improves after drinking alcohol, the effect may last anywhere from one hour to four hours. Alcohol use may help improve the symptoms of essential tremor (ET), but using alcohol to soothe symptoms of ET is not advisable. For many people, essential tremor can have serious social and psychological consequences. If the effects of essential tremor make it difficult to live your life as fully as you once did, consider joining a support group.

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And by all means, avoid the sugar snacks that you’ll crave once you start detoxing. Get in the habit of eating every three hours to avoid hunger that could lead to alcohol cravings, which will become more intense once the alcohol shakes set in. Before you begin the alcohol detox, shift to a healthy diet rich in lean proteins like chicken, eggs, fish and non-fatty meats. Add in a lot of raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, beans and pasta. Neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis, may also cause hand shakes, as well as stress, anxiety, and fear.

As the brain adapts to a regular influx of alcohol, it seeks to overcome alcohol’s sedative effect by increasing nerve activity to keep the body in a heightened state of alertness. Even when the intake of alcohol ceases, the brain stays in this state of high alert. Withdrawal symptoms occur as the brain struggles to adapt to the absence of alcohol and return to a state of equilibrium. There are specific medical treatments that will stop or reduce most of the symptoms you could experience if you quit cold turkey.

Alcohol Withdrawal Shakes

Some individuals may develop a tremor similar to the one experienced by individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Alcoholism can also lead to liver disease, which, in its advanced stages, can cause a characteristic flapping or shaking of the hands known as asterixis. As a central nervous system depressant, alcohol slows brain activity and reduces energy levels. But when someone consumes large amounts of alcohol regularly, their body adapts to the continuous presence of alcohol. The Blackberry Center is a 64-bed behavioral hospital in St. Cloud, Florida. Nestled in a tranquil setting just outside of Orlando, our mental health facility provides patients with a safe place to reflect, reset and heal.

The best way to ensure that you don’t develop alcohol-related shakes is to stop drinking. But if you have years of drinking behind you, it may not be possible to quit cold turkey. Unfortunately, there are times where it how to stop alcohol shakes persists well into aftercare. These cases are usually reserved for late-stage AUD sufferers with a long history of abuse. Once this program has been completed, usually the alcohol shakes will have subsided immensely.

When people ask how to stop alcohol shakes, medication is often the answer given. Certain medications such as Baclofen, a muscle relaxer, can ease your central nervous system to reduce tremors. Others, like benzodiazepines, also treat many of the underlying causes of alcohol addiction, such as anxiety and depression. Drugs that ease withdrawal symptoms also come with some severe side effects. It’s always best to consult a medical professional before using any type of medication.