Pulled from a source I found here on the site:
Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
hangovers -- fairly common result of overindulging-- headache, fatigue, thirst, and nervousness. There may be nausea and abdominal cramping. Diagnosed alcoholics report fewer hangovers than drinkers who are non-alcoholic, this may be because they have learned to ignore the symptoms.
sleep disturbance -- waking up earlier than usual after expecting to "sleep it off," being unable to fall asleep, disturbed dreaming.
irritability, anxiety, and restlessness -- all caused by the irritant effects of alcohol.
tremors, or "morning shakes"-- Tremors will clear after several days of abstinence, if there is no permanent damage to the nervous system
physical weakness, rapid heart rate,
mental sluggishness
difficulty thinking clearly or flexibly
All the above are lingering evidence of alcohol's impact on muscles, heart and brain.
For the drinker with only a mild degree of physical dependence, withdrawal effects may not extend beyond the symptoms listed above.
Some drinkers experience second stage withdrawal, marked by:
convulsions -- seizures usually occur between 12 and 48 hours of the last drink. There may be a loss of consciousness and body control.
Third stage withdrawal symptoms involve:
alcoholic hallucinosis and delirium tremens -- auditory, visual and tactile hallucinations occur. This period may last for three to four days, during which the de-toxifying person is in a severe state of agitation, is often completely disoriented and sleeps little, if at all. The delusions are almost always terrifying and may produce violent behavior. There is a 10%-20% mortality rate associated with this stage of withdrawal. Detoxification of the acutely ill alcoholic requires medical supervision.