Hi Alex, and congratulations on 8 days! I am on day 6 myself. I drank daily for most of the last five years (not as much as you, but I'm a reasonably petite woman, so proportionally, it was pretty close to your consumption). I found that I was sweating bullets for the first three days or so, but if anything, my thirst has decreased. Go figure! I guess everyone's experience is different.
I am guessing that the worst of the withdrawal symptoms is probably over. I expected more, to be honest. This place I called regarding inpatient rehab told me that "if you have been drinking daily, you need detox, you need drugs for it, and you need to give us a lot of money to dispense those drugs" (well OK, that's not exactly how she said it, lol!).
Strangely enough, I had far more shakes when I woke up after a particularly nasty night of drinking! For me, it's been sweats and it's been sweets. I have also been drinking Sleepytime tea at bedtime, plus trying to stay up later, so I sleep better.
By the way, it was very reassuring to read of so many people's cravings for sweets, because that has been happening to me all week...and I am someone who eats very little sweets otherwise. Many thanks for sharing your experiences.
I hope this helps!