Some people who are physically addicted may have their last drink at say midnight, and then be able to go the whole of the next working day without drinking. By the time they get home they are feeling agitated and in need of a drink. If they do not drink, their levels of agitation increase. Within 15 minutes or so of their first drink the levels of agitation decrease and they will then continue to drink for the rest of the evening until they go to bed. The pattern will be repeated the next day... and the next day... This pattern of physically addicted drinking is typical of those with a relatively minor level of physical addiction - however, such a person will probably NOT be able to cease drinking without a detox, and to do so would place them at risk of memory loss and other damage. Equally, in time, their level of drinking is likely to slowly but surely increase, gradually increasing the degree of their physical dependency to alcohol.

At the other end of the spectrum, a person might have their last drink at midnight and then be awake by 6am sweating profusely. If they haven't had a drink by 8am, their hands will start to shake and they will feel nauseous. If they haven't had a drink by 10am they may be vomiting, and by 3pm they will be starting to have hallucinations of insects walking on the walls. By 5pm they will have lost touch with reality, and by 7pm they may have suffered an epileptic seizure. If at any time during these events they find a supply of alcohol and start to drink, then all the above symptoms will calm down and disappear within an hour or so of continued alcohol use. This pattern is typical of people who are severely physically addicted to alcohol.