colin1288

i was sober for 16 months and just felloff the wagon for 2 weeks of heavy drinking for 6am til i passed out , i have stoped now after being admitted to the crazy house after trying to kill myself ... I home sweating all night cold sweats and a funny smell from the toxic sweat not to metion feeling so embaressed and shame hidding in my house and not answering the phone .... try vitamin b this was the worst feelings i had ever had oh ya and crazy nightmares.

nacona

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Quitting Drinking | Cracked.com

Jupiter

Your nervous system essentially has two autonomic pathways that regulate reactive activity: the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.

The sympathetic branch is responsible for "upregulated" responses, including an increased heartrate, alertness, increased blood pressure, and so forth. It is the "fight or flight" ancient mechanism. The parasympathetic circuitry are responsible for the opposite when activated, and thereby serves as a modulator.

When we drink, we depress our nervous system so much by constantly keeping the parasympathetic system activated to such a degree that the body become dependent on an external activator, be it alcohol or a benzodiazepine, to quell the sympathetic pathway.

When we withdraw, the brain now becomes imbalances because it has to reequilibriate itself to the absence of the external activator (alcohol). During this period of readjustment, the sympahetic pathway essentially has free reign over the body. This hyperactivity elicits the withdrawal symptoms that are well-known to alcoholics: sweating, increased blood pressure, anxiety, insomnia, and a host of othe somatic aberrations.

Stang

I had terrible night sweats for three days during detox. I also wasn't big on showering my last few months drunk....I reaked!
Stang makes note of another reason to stay sober....no more stank ass!
Another rotten smell of drinking...BEER FARTS! Peel the paint off the walls!

Isaiah

Sometimes there is sweat because your body is getting rid of toxins in the lymphatic system. Sometimes it's because you're in withdrawal and your body is in a constant panic-agitation mode. I don't think there's any way to tell the difference, but if you've got other withdrawal symptoms then seeing a doctor could be wise.

californiaguy

I'm no day 2 of detox and I woke up in a pool of sweat. My doctor told me it's the no1 symptom of withdrawl.

He told me to drink ample amounts of water, and if you're detoxing, i hope you have some meds to help you along because you are experiencing a classic withdrawl symptom. Good luck.

whenartdeparts

oh my god, i used to hate this symptom of withdrawal (stating the obvious here lol I don't think anybody ever enjoyed it) what's worse is that my abnormal sweating would usually be combined with severe, rapidly changing cold and hot waves, as if I was going through menopause...
when I had little understanding of what withdrawal really was, I used to think that my night sweats were caused by the weird nightmares I would regularly have (later on, much much later on, I figured both the sweating and the nightmares were symptoms of alcohol withdrawal)... when this explanation didn't satisfy my neurotic mind, I made the mistake to Google my condition and almost fainted at diagnoses like Lymphoma and HIV. I have a really pathetic case of hypochondria so this scared the **** out of me, despite having no reason to worry about either of the diagnoses.
I'm really glad to be in a place where I no longer have to deal with clammy skin and drenched bed sheets, I bet my boyfriend is too

Isaiah

Basics of a withdrawal:

When you use alcohol for a long time it starts to act in the brain as one of the brain's own chemicals. When you stop using the brain believes that a chemical it needs to function is no longer present which: 1.) sends your brain into a panic mode (hence sweating, nightmares, anxiety, etc.) and also tries to fix the problem by over-producing a natural chemical (leading to a racing heart, tremors, sweating again, and possible DTs.)

It's that second part that makes alcohol withdrawal potentially dangerous and best left to medical supervision. The chemical is not only used by the brain, but the heart and nerves as well. Too much of it can cause seizures and heart attacks.

And then you can be really stupid like me and get advice from a book in a health food store that says taking GABA can ease your withdrawal symptoms. It doesn't. Unless you consider an ambulance ride to the ER to be a good time.

itsaboutime

I'm the exact same when I'm in withdrawal. Definately have night sweats and, if I've had a really heavy weekend, will sweat during the day too.

It actually get's to a stage where I'd drive 10 miles home from work to shower and change my shirt at lunchtime to minimize how noticable it was - my back was literally drenched. I'd also change clothes a few times during the night.

This would last anything between 1 and 4 days for me. This is day 8 for me but this weekend will be the big challenge (I was sick last weekend so couldn't go out).

norcal4runner

Digging up an old thread…

I was begining to wonder about this. I've gone through bad withdrawals about 4 times now, however this time my night sweats almost smell like urine, but not quite? I know I am not pissing the bed, but holy **** this sweat stinks a strange odor. Just wanted to make sure foul, almost urinish smelling sweat was normal for detox night sweats and that I am not suddenly peeing myself sober for the first time in my life in detox.

anattaboy

Normal

MelindaFlowers

I was a sweaty animal when I was drinking every night. People always commented on it and I thought I would die from shame. I stopped drinking and the sweating COMPLETELY WENT AWAY. Poof! Gone. Imagine that.

khgmr63

I always have gotten the night sweats when not drinking...I would wake up cold clammy soaking wet...Been so bad my pillows got soaked and had to fold up bath towels and use them for a pillow... Lasts for a few days to a week the key is to keep hydrated... Being dehydrated can make you feel like crap as well. What I noticed as well the first week or so after quitting is that my pee smells funny..It has a certain smell about it I never had while I was drinking

MelindaFlowers

I sweated often and very easily when drinking. My face especially was always flushed, sweaty, and felt like it was on fire. So gross! Also embarrassing. I barely sweat at all now.

OmoRose

Darling dear, I hate to fear, but that is a huge case of your body telling you to knock off the alcohol consumption.

Sweats while sleeping, hot cold because of it, that's no little thing, and even after no alcohol can continue for days. Sleep, dreams are weird.

You need to detox, and if it's come to that point, your body is rebelling, warning you 'please no more of this'

Slow down, put the breaks on, and stop the excess.

ubntubnt

I think what Lexi said applies to me. For the last two or three years of my 27 years drinking which is when it got really heavy I would sweat badly at nights and sometimes during the day. I was blind enough to it to just think thats just the way I am and that the apartment was too hot. Once I quit drinking the sweating stopped also so for me it was more a sign of physical dependence rather than multi day withdrawl.

dsmaxis10

When I drank vodka a lot of it I'd sweat a lot and stink up the room I heard you can't smell vodka on your breath but it sweated threw my pours the end of the vodka got caught by my family my mom.

markz

You should go see a medical professional, or that might be out of line in this forum!

newhope01

Through this thread I have been better able to understand what causes night sweats after heavy alcohol consumption.

Scary stuff to think there was a time where I would suffer from night sweats and how night sweats seem to only be the beginning. Withdrawals are nothing to play around with.

Thanks guys.

SarahB60

I had night sweats up to 3 wks after detox. Yuck! Thanks for bumping up the old threads. It's a reminder of what I don't miss about drinking.