Cravings and Withdrawal: Dealing with Alcohol Addiction

So this sounds pretty pathetic...but I'm wondering, does anyone only crave alcohol to stop withdrawal? I used to go to bars and clubs a lot and get wasted, obviously just to have a good time. Since a little over a year ago, though, I started having withdrawals, particularly shakiness. This sounds really bad, but once I wake up, I need to drink a decent amount just to stop shaking. The worst part of it is, I need to have a certain amount before I go to work, which is terrible because I don't expect any employer to tolerate that. Most of the time no one can tell because my tolerance is so high that it helps me perform better. That may sound crazy, but it's true. However, I've also been let go in the past because I was overdoing it and I got called out for acting "off" and for 4 years they were suspicious because they could smell it on me (I got talked to several times). I guess I'm just asking if anyone's got any advice or has had a similar issue, because I genuinely can't afford medical attention, nor can I take off work. But the longest I've gone without drinking in the past few years is only 2 days and it's only going to get worse from here...