Alcohol withdrawal occurs when a person who drinks heavily or regularly stops suddenly, and the brain, which has adapted to alcohol’s depressant effects, becomes overactive. Early symptoms usually appear within 6–12 hours and include sweating, rapid heartbeat, anxiety, restlessness, nausea, and tremors in the hands. As withdrawal progresses over the next day or two, symptoms intensify, with more pronounced shaking, heightened sensitivity to light and sound, vivid nightmares, and sometimes hallucinations — seeing insects, hearing voices, or feeling things crawling on the skin. Around 24–48 hours, seizures may occur, often generalized and sometimes in clusters. In severe cases, typically 48–96 hours after the last drink, delirium tremens (DTs) develop, marked by severe confusion, disorientation, terrifying hallucinations, paranoia, extreme agitation, and dangerously unstable blood pressure and heart rate. These late symptoms can be life-threatening without medical care. The spectrum ranges from mild discomfort to critical emergencies, which is why alcohol withdrawal is closely monitored in hospitals when severe risk is present.