If you drink daily and shake or feel your heart race when you stop, get medical help to quit
Suddenly stopping after prolonged heavy daily drinking can cause withdrawal. Mild symptoms include shaking, sweating, palpitations and insomnia; seizures or delirium tremens are life-threatening emergencies. In a Norwegian cohort of over 30,000 people, those with delirium tremens had 8% annual mortality afterward. Tell a clinician exactly how much you drink before quitting.
What it takes
In China, a psychiatry or addiction-clinic registration costs a few to a few dozen renminbi. Severe withdrawal may require several days in hospital.
What you may gain
A 2026 clinical review describes withdrawal after sudden cessation or substantial reduction of prolonged heavy drinking: tremor, autonomic overactivity, anxiety, insomnia, perceptual disturbance, seizures and delirium tremens. It characterizes withdrawal as common and potentially life-threatening in general medical care. A Norwegian registry cohort included 36,287 people diagnosed during 2009–2015 with alcohol dependence, withdrawal or delirium tremens. Annual mortality was 8.0% after delirium tremens, 5.0% after withdrawal and 3.6% with dependence. The standardized mortality ratio for delirium tremens was 9.8 (95% CI 8.9–10.7), about 9.8 times the age-matched general-population rate.
Context & considerations
Nearly daily drinking, shaking/sweating/palpitations/insomnia after a day without alcohol, or needing a morning drink to feel normal are reasons not to stop abruptly alone. Hospitals commonly manage the acute period with benzodiazepines and thiamine (vitamin B1). Grade B because the cohort describes outcomes after delirium tremens, not a direct experiment on quitting alone; the connection is an inference. Quitting remains worthwhile, with medical support. See weekly amounts and help reducing intake.
Research & references
Caputo F, Lungaro L, Costanzini A, De Giorgio R, Addolorato G (2026). Alcohol withdrawal syndrome in hospitalized patients: a practical review. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 107103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.2026.107103 ; Bramness JG, Heiberg IH, Høye A, Rossow I (2023). Mortality and alcohol-related morbidity in patients with delirium tremens, alcohol withdrawal state or alcohol dependence in Norway: A register-based prospective cohort study. Addiction, 118(12), 2352–2359. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16297