IME, folks who suffer from alcoholism experience negative effects whenever they stop drinking. Alcohol had, in the past been the solution. When it is gone we are left with an alcoholic mind trying to function without alcohol. It can be a fear filled, anxious, irritating, and stressful time.
In my experience all that comes from an inability to connect with our fellows in a meaningful way, and get away from the self centred lifestyle at the heart of alcoholism. We call that, in AA, the spiritual malady.
Ou book says, in their experience, when we straighten out spiritually, we straighten out physically and mentally. If that is true, then if we get off track spirtually, there might be physical and mental consequences, right?
When I was seven years sober I had such an experience. I had got wrapped up in my work and forgotten my spiritual program of action. Mentally I became fearful, irritable, unsatisfied and highly stressed. It manifested physically in my fingers being covered in white pusstules (Hope that is actually a word), and then my neck locked up solid. Very painful. What happened was that the spiritual malady came back.
The treatment was simple. Get back to my spritual program of action, which means get busy in AA working with others.
I have had a couple of other similar spells in my life, and the solution has always been the same. I did try the doctor, accupuncture, and therapy as well, hoping perhaps that someone else could fix me, but they were all ineffective.