London, Jul 29 (IANS): The family of late singer Amy Winehouse, whose cause of death is still being speculated, claims that she died because she completely quit alcohol and drugs.

The sun.co.uk reports that her family believes the singer's decision to quit alcohol completely for three weeks was a lethal "shock" for her body.

"Abstinence gave her body such a fright they thought it was eventually the cause of her death," said a source close to Amy's family.

"He (Mitch) said doctors had told Amy to gradually reduce her intake of alcohol and to avoid bingeing at all costs. Amy told him she couldn't do that. It was all or nothing and she gave up completely. 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 source added.

But experts agree people become so dependent on alcohol that their bodies go into shock if they stop completely.

"If you go from very high alcohol consumption to nothing, you can get the DTs and fits that can leave you unconscious, in danger of stopping breathing and dying because of that," said doctor Julian Spinks. "Alcohol and drugs can also damage the liver, heart and brain and leave you more susceptible to dying from other things."

The cause of death has still not been determined. Her family will have to wait for four weeks for the results of toxicology tests.