It varies from person to person.
It is very risky to stop drinking cold turkey without seeing a physician. I did it...(I was never known from being that bright) and it took me weeks to stop having sweats which soaked my clothing, the shakes, being po'd all the time (now I am that since I stopped smoking), and overall feeling like crap all the time...weeks and weeks. Some folks can get DT's and die without medical assistance. Be careful.

And btw....when we stop drinking and start again, most of us don't have alot less than we did before--we either pick up and drink as much or more. This is what can kill us because our bodies haven't built up a tolerance to that much alcohol like we did in the past. Be very careful.

If yer feeling better each day, and you've made it 5 days already, you're probably gonna be ok. But, I'm not a doctor.

I started feeling better after a week, and it just gets better and better, I swear on that. Honestly though, it was a few months (6-8) before my head really started clearing up. But man, what a feeling! You need to realize something: that shit is POISON. Literally, not figuratively. Its the same to your body as arsenic, or, turpentine, or even eating rotten food (which is what it is, it's vegetable matter that has decayed past the point of being rotten.) and everytime you obstain for a while, and then go back, it's worse. It's harder to stop, and, like you said, this time you're having withdrawl, not like the last time you quit. Next time, it's gonna be worse. That's for sure. And the next time, you'll probably (almost certainly) have to get medical attention, or you could die from withdrawl. DTs can put you in a seizure and kill you. It happens every day. There are only 2 types of drugs that can cause death from withdrawl: benzodiazepines, (Xanax, Valium, Klonipin), and ALCOHOL.  A heroin addict or Meth addict will never die from withdrawing from the drug. (They will feel like they wish they were dead, though. But they won't die.) it's different with alcohol and Benzos. Withdrawl from these 2 things can kill you.

You should be very happy that you're making it out alive...(this time). Now, it's time to take this shit seriously, cause it ain't no joke. You need to go to a meeting. There's lots of cool, friendly people there, who have already gone through, or are going through, what yer going through right now. Nobody is gonna look at you funny, (unless you go wearing a clown outfit, then, yeah, they're gonna look at you funny), nobody is gonna stare at you, they're everyday normal (I use that term loosely) people, who have found a way to beat this fricken alcohol thing. And they can tell you how they did it, and give you some help doing it, too. And I'm tellin ya, Downperiscope, your life will be so much better without that shit. I never thought in a million years that I would be happy without alcohol, but I am. WAY happier. (I'm only a little over a year off the poison).

you beat it for 5 days, now don't go back! Go to a meeting, and go with a feeling of relief, that you're escaping this trap, all the bad stuff is behind you, and it's time to really start living, cause that drinkin and drowning ain't really living. It's a false concept sold to you and brainwashed into you by the companies that make billions of dollars off of it, through the media and advertisements, making you believe that their poison is cool, and drinking it will bring you good times and cheer. Bullshit. They don't show the reality and all the bad stuff about it. 

Im really glad you came here, Downperiscope. There's great people here, with great advice, some people are funny, some serious, but all with good intentions. Just like the people you will find at that meeting yer gonna go to! 

Now, UP PERISCOPE! it's time to seek out true adventure and better lands and different people and riches beyond our wildest dreams!

Thanx for backing me up, Pappy. I don't want to be the only one to blame if this one drops dead from a DT seizure.

Relapses scare the hell out of me as I have learned during my recovery for every day I go without a drink the disease counts how many drinks I gotta do to play "catch up to get even with what I've missed".   My assessment score said the next time I drink I die.  I'm not scared of dying...don't like the idea of dying crazy.  So far so good...Thank you MIP, AA and my HP for sure.  One of the blessings of the last two head surgeries is that along with other thoughts...I've not had a compulsion to drink...(((hugs))) 

And MIP...(duh)