The information provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment options.
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The goal of tapering down is to make a gradual change while causing less stress on your body, both physically and emotionally. Because everyone’s body reacts differently, there’s not a lot of research that proves tapering can decrease the effects of alcohol withdrawal. As a Certified Professional Recovery Coach, I often speak with people who want to wean off alcohol. The thought of abstaining from alcohol completely can feel daunting, and in some cases, it can even be dangerous without medical supervision.
How To Taper Off Alcohol: Key Strategies and Tips
They can provide medications and additional support to make quitting alcohol safer, and more comfortable. If you’re living with alcohol use disorder, treatment at a medical rehabilitation facility is your best option. Through therapy, support groups and medication, you’ll be supported on your path to recovery. 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.
- Depending on how much you drink and for how long, one rule of thumb is to avoid cutting more than 25% of your drinking intake at a single time to avoid withdrawal symptoms.
- “Some will experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop abruptly, which is an indicator for medically managed alcohol withdrawal treatments from a health professional.
- In addition, social pressures can make it hard to quit drinking, especially if your friends or family also drink heavily.
- We do not and have never accepted fees for referring someone to a particular center.
- You can also take the lead in other ways by volunteering to host or inviting people to get togethers where alcohol isn’t center-stage or even present at all, says Young.
- However, you may experience withdrawal symptoms or relapse if you’re not tapering correctly and safely.
Stay Hydrated & Nourished
It’s always best to consult a physician on the best strategy, especially if you drink heavily. The main difference between tapering and quitting alcohol cold turkey is how fast you quit. Cold turkey is a common slang term for quitting alcohol (or any substance) all at once. Tapering or weaning means ramping down your alcohol use until you get to zero—or to a more moderate level of drinking that you prefer.
You can taper off alcohol if you worry that you are developing alcohol addiction. We believe everyone deserves access to accurate, unbiased information about mental health and addiction. That’s why we have a comprehensive set of treatment providers and don’t charge for inclusion. We do not and have never accepted fees for referring someone to a particular center. Providers who advertise sober house with us must be verified by our Research Team and we clearly mark their status as advertisers. Support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous can help reinforce your goals and boost your spirits.
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They can measure their quantity of drinks over the course of a day, though for some people it is more helpful to count how many drinks they habitually have per week. Once a person has an accurate understanding of the number of drinks they regularly drink, the next step is implementing a small reduction. Instead of drinking 9 drinks a day, for instance, a person can reduce that number to 7 or 8. After a person has acclimated to this new change, they can lower the number yet again.
Generally, light to moderate drinkers should plan to taper for a week or more. When the alcohol is completely taken away then this adrenaline and its cousins are left to run rampant in the brain. This leads to raised blood pressure, raised pulse rate, rapid breathing, fever, hallucinations, seizures and D.T.s. When you consider how to go about giving up alcohol, account for factors like how much you drink and your reasons for drinking. Tough days might come, but with our supportive sober community, you’re never alone. As such, there is only limited guidance available about the best ways to taper.
If you’re not sure if cold turkey or tapering is https://northiowatoday.com/2025/01/27/sober-house-rules-what-you-should-know-before-moving-in/ right for you, you can join the Monument Community to hear from others who have confronted similar questions. If you or a loved one has decided to taper off alcohol, it is generally a good idea to plan this process well in advance. While tapering can mitigate the severity of alcohol withdrawal symptoms, people can still expect to experience them. By following a clearly delineated roadmap with an end goal in sight, alcohol withdrawal, while no walk in the park, can seem far more achievable. When an individual has developed a substance use disorder or dependence on alcohol, stopping its use outright can seem virtually impossible.
Establishing new habits and routines, and dealing with the underlying causes of your drinking habits, are essential to lasting recovery. Alcohol also changes your brain chemistry, which can result in higher levels of anxiety and depression for the first several months. Tapering is meant to reduce the withdrawal symptoms from quitting alcohol, but this isn’t a guarantee. As mentioned above, many people will still experience some level of withdrawal, just to a lesser degree. This may work for many people, but in practice each individual will respond best to a different pace, and each doctor will have their own recommendations.
Alcohol Tapering can help people start their recovery journey, including those with goals of stopping completely or curbing drinking. Tapering can also be effective for people who are unable to attend an in-person program or detox to help them stop drinking. Over time, this can help you slow down and make more intentional choices about how much you’re drinking. You can read all about mindful drinking in this article by a licensed therapist at Monument. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that affects your brain.