Trust me, caffeine withdrawal does not compare to alcohol withdrawal and DT's. Alcohol is one of the substances that can actually kill you if you stop it cold turkey after drinking heavily for a long time. They hallucinate, get violent, pull out their own catheters, and take swings at nurses. DT stands for Delirium Tremens, and it is much worse that getting shaky after stopping coffee. If a patient actually progresses to DT's then the mortality rate is 5-15%, even with serious medical treatment.
I had a brush with DT's. In my case, I was struck on the head in a work accident on a Friday afternoon. It hurt but since I was 20 and proven indestructible, I refused treatment or a trip to the post hospital.
That evening, I had a headache that was progressing from bad to worse and for some reason, I decided to see if drinking would help, see 20 year olds make some awesome decisions. I don't know how much alcohol I drank that evening. My memory stopped at some point, and I can't remember anything for a long period of hours.
I woke up sometime around noon that Saturday and was overtaken with what felt like bugs crawling on my skin. I saw things moving on the walls and carpet in my room and heard voices. I went into a panic for a while before I forced my mind to admit that what I was experiencing wasn't really happening. I somehow got to the hall and called out for help, someone took me to the hospital.
The doctor diagnosed a Concussion and DT's and treated for two days in the hospital. I was also told that I'd consumed a lot of alcohol. Apparently my buddies hadn't realized a problem and kept giving it to me. My commander wanted to send me to the ADAPC program but was convinced I didn't need it.
After having them, I can't understand why someone would subject themselves to that. I haven't had more than a drink in a day ever since.