Amy Winehouse‘s cause of death may have been acute alcohol withdrawal, or so her family believes. According to her family, Amy Winehouse had totally stopped drinking during the last few weeks of her life. Her doctor had allegedly told her to gradually stop drinking, but her family claims the British singer ignored the advice and went cold turkey instead.
An unidentified friend of the Winehouse family allegedly told the Sun British tabloid that the singer’s family believes alcohol withdrawal may have caused her death. “Abstinence gave her body such a fright they thought it was eventually the cause of her death,” the source said. People magazine has allegedly confirmed the family believes alcohol withdrawal may have contributed to Amy Winehouse’s cause of death.
Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can include nausea and vomiting, heart palpitations, tachycardia, hypertension and even seizures, convulsions and death when extreme. The severity of symptoms can depend on the degree of alcohol intake and length of time the person has been abusing alcohol.
At her funeral, her father, Mitch Winehouse, allegedly said doctors told Amy to gradually reduce her alcohol intake and avoid binging on liquor. “Amy told him she couldn’t do that. It was all or nothing and she gave up completely,” the source allegedly told the Sun. “Mitch said the shock of giving up, after everything she had been through over a bad few years, was just too much for her to take.”
The Daily Mail, however, has reported that Amy was suffering from a recent breakup and had purchased a large amount of drugs the night before she died. She was also allegedly seen drinking heavily.
The official Amy Winehouse autopsy report revealed nothing conclusive about her death. The coroner is now waiting on toxicology tests, which may take several more weeks, to hopefully give evidence on how the 27-year-old singer died.