Alcohol Shakes & Tremors: What Do They Mean?

Have you ever trembled or felt unsteady when you’re not drinking? The wobbly, quivering sensation that sometimes comes after a day or night of heavy drinking is known as alcohol shakes.

While you’ll typically notice this shaky feeling in the hands, it can also affect the arms, legs, and even the whole body. Shakes from alcohol abuse are often one of the many signs of alcoholism or alcohol dependence, and they can sometimes lead to more serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Alcohol shakes may not always be cause for immediate alarm, but it’s worth understanding what’s going on if you or a loved one experiences tremors from drinking alcohol. With that in mind, we’re taking an in-depth look at what an alcohol tremor is and what to do if you notice it.

What are Alcohol Shakes?

Whether you call them shakes, jitters, or tremors, alcohol shakes (like all tremors) are involuntary muscle contractions that cause rhythmic movements in the body.¹

These shakes occur because alcohol affects your nervous system. When you drink alcohol, the ethanol binds with neurotransmitters in your central nervous center (called GABA receptors) that produce a calming effect.²

At first, this interaction increases that built-in feeling of calm. But over time, excessive alcohol use leads to a decrease in natural GABA activity. So, when you stop drinking alcohol, the GABA receptors can’t do their job, and the central nervous system can become overactive.³ That’s when the shaking begins.

These shakes can make it difficult to write, eat, and concentrate. They can also make some workplace responsibilities more challenging. What’s more, because tremors are a visible symptom, they can sometimes lead to feelings of embarrassment or anxiety.

Alcohol shakes may come alone, but they are often accompanied by other symptoms, such as:⁴

• Rapid breathing
• Increased blood pressure
• A quickened pulse
• Nausea
• Excessive sweating

Common Causes of Alcohol Shakes

In many cases, alcohol shakes go hand in hand with alcohol addiction. Regular, excessive alcohol abuse can have countless effects on your mind and body, and many of these effects can cause tremors. Some possible reasons for shaking include:

• Changes in brain chemistry – Along with GABA, alcohol binds with glutamate. Glutamate is an amino acid in the central nervous system that causes excitability.² Prolonged alcohol use suppresses glutamate, so when you suddenly stop drinking, it comes back in abundance to cause overexcitement and tremors.³

• Anxiety – Anxiety is a common alcohol abuse and alcohol withdrawal symptom that can cause shaking, trembling, and general instability.⁵

However, alcohol tremors aren’t always caused by frequent alcohol consumption. Shakes may occur after one night of binge drinking. For women, binge drinking is defined as having 4 or more drinks on one occasion; for men, it’s 5 or more drinks.⁶

After a session of binge drinking or heavy alcohol use, these so-called “hangover shakes” can leave you feeling weak and wobbly for the entire day.

Are Alcohol Shakes a Sign of Withdrawal?

On their own, tremors are not inherently painful or dangerous. However, alcohol shakes are often the first sign that a more serious problem exists. As such, it’s important to take a step back and reflect when you notice alcohol tremor signs.

Shakes can certainly be an obvious alcohol withdrawal symptom, especially if they’re accompanied by:⁷

• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Headaches
• Depression

When researching alcohol shakes, you may have also seen that a potential cause is the severe, sometimes deadly complication known as delirium tremens (DTs). It’s true that DTs can cause tremors, as well as confusion, hallucinations, and seizures.

However, DT is relatively rare among alcohol users, affecting only 3–5% of patients.⁸ The condition tends to begin two or three days into the stages of alcohol withdrawal and only in people who have depended on high alcohol use for several months.⁹

So, if you have shakes or tremors that materialize 8–30 hours after your last drink, they’re unlikely to be related to DTs. They could, however, still be a sign of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS).

How to Treat Alcohol Shakes

Your path to treating alcohol shakes will depend on the frequency and severity of your tremors. When in doubt, you should always seek support from a medical professional, as alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous.

For the occasional “hangover shakes,” you may be able to ease the tremors with a little TLC. Some of the easiest, most immediate ways to temporarily manage alcohol shakes include:

• Resting
• Drinking water or electrolyte drinks
• Eating a simple meal

However, if you find that shakes from alcohol become more frequent or severe, you may need to treat the root cause of the tremors: alcohol dependence. 

Most addiction treatment programs for alcohol use disorder will begin with an alcohol detox, where your system will flush out the alcohol over several days. Detox programs may also include medications to help with more extreme shaking and other symptoms.  

But before you proceed, it’s important to know how to detox from alcohol properly and safely with the guidance of experts. So, how long does it take to detox from alcohol? It will depend on the program and the severity of the situation.

Where to Get Help

If alcohol shakes have become a regular occurrence, you may find that your work, family time, and social life are affected—especially if other symptoms are involved. Alcohol dependence can be a serious problem, and tremors are often just the tip of the iceberg.

That’s why it’s essential to seek professional support when alcohol shakes begin. To avoid the more concerning symptoms—and to kick your alcohol dependence—it may be in your best interest to go through a medical detox program.

Elevate’s holistic drug rehab center in California can be your first step toward recovery and a tremor-free life. At two cutting-edge facilities in Santa Cruz and Lake Tahoe, our medical experts, therapists, and specialists can help you work through alcohol shakes, anxiety, and any other struggles you may be experiencing.

If you’re ready to take that first step, contact us today.

Sources: 

1. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Tremor Fact Sheet. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/tremor-fact-sheet
2. National Library of Medicine. Alcohol Withdrawal. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441882/
3. National Library of Medicine. Delirium Tremens. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482134/
4. Drugs.com. Alcohol Withdrawal. https://www.drugs.com/health-guide/alcohol-withdrawal.html
5. National Library of Medicine. Anxiety. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470361/
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Binge Drinking. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm
7. Mount Sinai. Alcohol withdrawal. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/diseases-conditions/alcohol-withdrawal
8. National Library of Medicine. Delirium Tremens. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482134/
9. MedlinePlus. Delirium tremens. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000766.htm