Why is alcohol withdrawal so dangerous? In regular and heavy drinkers, the body compensates for the depressive effect of alcohol by ramping up production of a number of hormones and brain chemicals, like serotonin, epinephrine and dopamine. When a person suddenly stops drinking alcohol, the body becomes flooded with abnormally high levels of those chemicals.

“Alcohol chronically consumed in high quantities is like pressing down on a coiled spring,’’ said Dr. Haroutunian. “When you abruptly stop drinking, you release that force and the spring goes ‘Pow!’ There is this massive unopposed excitatory chemical release which affects all areas of the body.”

Alcohol withdrawal can produce a range of minor to serious effects, which can occur within a few hours or days after the last drink. Minor symptoms, which can begin 6 to 12 hours after the last drink, include insomnia, tremors, heart palpitations, nausea, sweating and upset stomach. Patients can experience hallucinations, in which they see, hear or feel things that aren’t there, 12 to 24 hours after the last drink.

Severe complications can include dehydration, vomiting, abnormal heart rhythms and a condition called delirium tremens, or D.T.’s, which have about a 15 percent fatality rate. Considered a medical emergency, delirium tremens is characterized by confusion, delirium and seizures and can occur 24 to 48 hours after the last drink. Unattended, patients can suffer head injuries, lethal dehydration, heart attack or stroke and can choke on their own vomit.

“Alcohol withdrawal is one of the most fatal complications of all drugs,’’ said Dr. Haroutunian.

According to a 2004 review in the journal American Family Physician, every year about 226,000 patients are discharged from hospitals with a condition related to alcohol withdrawal. However, because only 10 to 20 percent of patients undergoing alcohol withdrawal are treated at hospitals, it’s possible that as many as two million Americans each year experience symptoms of alcohol withdrawal, according to the report.

The people at highest risk for complications from alcohol withdrawal are those who drink frequently to excess and then routinely go through their own version of detox.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/0...thdrawal/?_r=0

Alcohol also thins the blood and puts a great deal of pressure on our blood vessels. As per your previous post with the article from The Times, abruptly releasing all that pressure can cause stroke and cardiac complications