Dry Drunk Syndrome – Signs and Symptoms

Dry Drunk Syndrome VS Healthy Recovery

The attitudes of dry alcoholics compared to those who’ve successfully recovered holistically are vastly different. While people enjoying recovery have cultivated a life unconducive to alcohol use, dry drunks sometimes wish they could still drink because it seems like the best way to solve many of their problems.

Behaviors & Attitudes of Dry Drunks Commonly Include:

• Exhibiting anger and bitterness, mood swings, and low stress tolerance.
• Neglecting behavioral and lifestyle changes other than becoming sober.
• Having difficulty maintaining relationships and isolating from others, despite feeling lonely.
• Believing their lives are not better (or even worse) than when they were actively drinking.
• Ignoring criticism of loved ones who consider them to be as disagreeable and unpleasant as they were before sobriety.
• Clinging to the false belief that their unhealthy coping mechanisms once improved their lives to some extent.
• Engaging in self-pity and fostering feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.
• Romanticizing alcohol use and reminiscing about enjoyable times spent drinking.
• Ignoring challenges and stress in a way similar to how they did when they were actively drinking.

Behaviors & Attitudes of People Happy & Successful in Recovery Include:

• Understanding the importance of forgiveness, resilience, and positive self-worth.
• Engaging in behaviors conducive to recovery and using healthier, more effective coping mechanisms to deal with stress.
• Pursuing an active, enjoyable, social life.
• Being perceived as markedly different in behavior and attitude to loved ones.
• Finding more enjoyment in life than when they were active alcoholics.
• Accepting that former coping mechanisms were unhealthy, ineffective, and dysfunctional.
• Understanding that life in recovery will be entirely new and will not and should not go back to before alcohol misuse
• Confronting life’s stresses and challenges constructively, displaying self-confidence, and rebounding emotionally despite obstacles.

Mental Health Conditions & Dry Drunk Syndrome

Many individuals have certain psychological conditions that can cause dry drunk syndrome, such as comorbid mental health disorders and post-acute withdrawal syndrome. Until these dual diagnoses are effectively addressed, those who experience them may find it challenging to develop the coping methods they’ll need to replace their old, dysfunctional ways of handling stress.

Co-Occurring Mental Health Conditions

Co-occurring mental health conditions often go unaddressed or don’t receive sufficient attention and care. (5) It can be difficult for those accustomed to self-medicating psychological symptoms with alcohol to carry on substance-free when their mental health has not been given the consideration it deserves.

Common psychiatric conditions, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, have been strongly linked to substance misuse and addiction. (6) So, in the absence of intervention, a person exhibiting dry drunk syndrome may be experiencing more emotional turmoil than they were while using alcohol to self-medicate.

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) 

PAWS is a condition that can develop or persist long after detox and chemical withdrawal has been achieved. Symptoms associated with PAWS are no longer physical (e.g., tremors, sweating, headache, etc.) but instead are emotional and behavioral. (7) These symptoms are similar to those seen in individuals with long-standing mental illnesses and include depression, anxiety, mood swings, and reliving traumatic experiences.

Dry Drunk Syndrome Prevention

An individual’s first year of recovery appears to be the most vulnerable to dry drunk symptoms, especially the first few months. (8) A person new to recovery risks experiencing this syndrome if they continue to deal with emotional difficulties with the same disregard and dysfunctionality they did during active alcoholism. 

Dry Drunk Prevention Strategies Include:

• Being able to recognize signs of being a dry drunk vs. enjoying a successful recovery.
• Having the willingness to revisit the early recovery process, identify areas that need improvement, and seek solutions for these issues.
• Being fully dedicated to long-term recovery and monitoring progress regularly.
• Refusing to glamorize alcohol or entertain the idea that their former coping methods were somehow functional.
• Actively seeking meaningful connections with themselves and others.