I don’t recommend tapering yourself at all, and I especially don’t recommend doing it rapidly, but it has been done. Some people have done a rapid taper in which they go from their baseline to zero in a weekend or so. You may find success decreasing your number of drinks by a set amount each day. You could do one a day if you’re very weary of withdrawal symptoms, but you might drag it out unnecessarily. When you drink heavily, your brain changes its sensitivity to GABA. The imbalance in GABA that occurs when you suddenly stop drinking causes withdrawal symptoms.
- If you’re living with alcohol use disorder (also known as alcoholism), you’ll likely benefit from additional medical interventions.
- This can taper you off alcohol while still helping you keep up with your normal drinking routine, making the process easier.
- With physical dependence, your body becomes used to the presence of alcohol in your system and begins to adapt accordingly.
- Working with a physician on the Monument platform can help determine what timeline will work for you based on your past drinking habits and risk of withdrawal.
- This leads to raised blood pressure, raised pulse rate, rapid breathing, fever, hallucinations, seizures and D.T.s.
The support of an alcohol detox program may help you wean off alcohol more quickly and with fewer unpleasant side effects. Some detox programs also offer how drinking affects the teenage brain therapy to prepare you for addiction treatment. An effective tapering schedule may include cutting out one drink at a time at regular intervals.
Support This Site
A couple of different strategies for tapering alcohol exist. These include direct tapers, where you regularly decrease the amount of alcohol you consume, and substitution tapers, where you replace alcohol with another substance. These strategies work in different ways to help you quit drinking, and one or the other may be appropriate for you based on your needs. Tapering off alcohol can help reduce withdrawal symptoms in some cases, but the effectiveness varies depending on individual factors and the severity of alcohol dependence. Seeking professional guidance is advisable to ensure a safe and effective tapering process.
How to safely taper off your alcohol consumption
You don’t have to let the fear of alcohol withdrawal stop you from cutting back or quitting. You may decide to seek medical treatment for your withdrawal symptoms or decide to enter a professional detox or rehab center. This method works best with gradual reduction, as alcohol withdrawal symptoms can start within 12–24 hours after stopping drinking. Generally, alcohol-free days are better towards the end of a gradual reduction, not towards the beginning. The amount of time it takes to taper off of alcohol can vary greatly from person to person.
How to Taper off Alcohol Safely
Alcohol can stay in your system for several hours depending on how much you drink. Once it begins to leave your body, early symptoms of withdrawal begin. When you are detoxing from alcohol at a rehab center, nurses and doctors monitor vital signs, provide adequate nourishment and treat complications if they occur. BetterHelp offers affordable mental health care via phone, video, or live-chat. Another clue that can be an indication of an unhealthy relationship with alcohol is if you make “rules” around drinking.
People who have a severe reaction to quitting alcohol should seek emergency treatment. Whether you’re sober curious, know for sure you’re ready to quit, or fall somewhere in between, Dr. Streem shares advice for how to stop drinking. If you’re living with alcohol use disorder (also known as alcoholism), you’ll likely benefit halfway house law and legal definition uslegal, inc from additional medical interventions. Obviously quitting cold turkey from a 12-beer-a-day habit is going to be more stressful than tapering off slowly. But that does not mean home detox is effective, appropriate, or safe. If you’ve decided to quit drinking, and tapering seems like the right approach, we’ve got you covered.
This process can help your body break its dependency on alcohol with minimal side effects. A substitution taper refers to switching strong liquor for an alternative that contains less alcohol, like beer. Once you’ve changed to a less alcoholic option, you can gradually reduce your drink amount.
Between 12 and 24 Hours
If you don’t like beers, drink beers (find ones with lower alcohol, some have high concentrations). If you mess up once or twice and drink more than you intended to, don’t be too discouraged. You can continue your taper the next day from whatever point you think is appropriate. I’d try to how to cure boredom shoot for your original goal the following day if the physical withdrawals were subsiding. As long as you are trending downward overall, you’re doing well. Don’t just give up and drink a fifth because you had your 6 drinks before noon when you meant to have 6 drinks over the whole day.
Alcohol impacts our sleep, relationships, weight, risk for serious chronic conditions and more. Generally speaking, alcohol home detox is neither the most effective nor the safest method of quitting alcohol. However, it is inexpensive and may be suitable for someone whose job, relationships, and well-being are not in jeopardy. Risky withdrawal symptoms are not limited to the above.3 Learn more about alcohol withdrawal here and, once again, speak to a doctor first. If you’ve decided to taper off alcohol, you’ll need to be prepared with some strategies to make the process easier. You’ll likely face the urge to drink more than you’ve planned each day, but there are some good tricks to help you delay that next serving and keep yourself honest.
Laying it all out in black and white can take time and some serious self-examination. Understanding your habits and your motivations to quit drinking can help you understand the change you’re making in your life and reinforce why it’s important. Dr. Streem suggests starting with the World Health Organization’s Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). It can be a particularly helpful way to help you get a clearer understanding of your drinking habits and your relationship with alcohol.
Most doctors would rather save the beds in their psych wards for people who are actually suicidal and send you home. However, certain food groups also have benefits when it comes to helping with the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms and detoxification. You should only attempt an alcohol taper while under a doctor’s care.
Seeking help as early as possible during the withdrawal process is the best way to stay safe as you cleanse your body of alcohol. Tapering off alcohol is the gentlest approach to discontinuation. Alcohol addiction poses significant risks, and the optimal approach to mitigate these dangers involves abstaining from alcohol altogether.
In contrast, robust evidence supports quitting alcohol while under medical supervision. If you struggle with drinking, the safest way to quit is under a doctor’s care. If you drink heavily, your doctor may recommend quitting with the help of a medical detox center. In medical detox, you receive around-the-clock care from doctors and nurses to help prevent and treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms and their complications. This can set you up for a safe and effective detox and put you in a good position to continue your recovery in rehab. Alcohol addiction is dangerous, and the best way to reduce the risks of drinking is to stop using alcohol.
Start by consulting a medical professional about your plans. Educate yourself on potential withdrawal symptoms and have a support system in place. Evaluate the pros and cons of tapering and consider quitting with medical help instead of trying to do it yourself. Deciding to reduce or eliminate your alcohol consumption is a big step and will open up a whole new world of improved health and well-being.
And after cutting down slowly, you’ll find it much easier to stop drinking when you’re ready. Because tapering is not the recommended way to stop using alcohol, there is no recommended tapering schedule. If you plan to taper, you must create a schedule that is right for you. While the safest way to taper is with professional help in a detox facility, this may not be an option for everyone.