Diluting alcohol with other beverages is another option people may use. This is because it allows for a more controlled reduction in alcohol. However, some groups have stepped in to try to bridge this gap and have published sample tapering schedules to help those trying to stop drinking.
Symptoms timeline
But deciding to cut back on drinking is much more important than the length of your alcohol taper. Tapering is a process of gradually reducing your medication dose over time. This slow reduction allows your body time to adjust to the lower dose, prevent relapse or health complications and minimize withdrawal symptoms. It can also help your provider catch any problems early and ensure you are managing your health well.
Make your intentions clear to trusted friends and voice what type of support you need from them.
They can provide personalized advice, monitor progress, and offer support throughout the tapering process. Additionally, they can assess the individual’s specific situation and determine if additional treatment options or interventions are necessary. By gradually reducing alcohol intake, the body Sober House Rules: A Comprehensive Overview has time to adjust to the decreasing levels of alcohol. This can help alleviate or even prevent some of the common withdrawal symptoms, such as tremors, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and headaches.
Insurance May Cover The Cost of Alcohol Rehab
- By acknowledging the need for change and understanding the benefits of tapering off, individuals can take the first steps toward achieving a healthier and alcohol-free lifestyle.
- Luckily, these expert tips for people looking to drink less make it a lot simpler.
- A standard drink is a term used because different alcoholic beverages have different concentrations of alcohol, giving you varying amounts of alcohol depending on the fluid you drink.
- The effects of alcohol can vary depending on weight, gender, age and other factors.
- Tapering is meant to reduce the withdrawal symptoms from quitting alcohol, but this isn’t a guarantee.
Getting professional treatment for alcohol addiction can give you the tools to create, and maintain, a healthy and happy lifestyle. Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance abuse, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. It does this by providing compassionate care and evidence-based content that addresses health, treatment, and recovery. Further, the severity of withdrawal symptoms can cause a person to resort back to drinking alcohol to relieve any symptoms. However, doing so without the guidance of a physician, can complicate tapering and ultimately delay when, if ever, sobriety is reached.
If you plan to taper your drinking in order to stop, make sure you limit your intake consistently, avoid fluctuations, and adhere to a weekly reduction schedule with a set date to stop. People attempting to quit may turn to drinking again to prevent withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of mortality in the United States, with approximately 95,000 people dying from alcohol-related causes each year. By gradually tapering off alcohol, you can lower your risk for alcohol-related accidents or death. If you’re struggling to wean off alcohol, it might be best to seek addiction treatment. Various treatment programs are available to help you recover from addiction.
Common Withdrawal Symptoms
While tapering can be helpful for some, others may require medical supervision. For severe alcohol addiction, seeking help from healthcare professionals or addiction specialists is crucial. Medical professionals recommend quitting cold turkey and using medications to treat symptoms. They suggest this approach because your odds of success are higher.
Tell Someone What You’re Doing
It provides a more realistic and sustainable path towards sobriety, increasing the chances of long-term success. If you are struggling to stop or cut down through alcohol tapering, this may be a sign to seek more help, Lee said. There are a variety of resources to explore, including 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or SMART Recovery, Lee explained. “Any relative reduction in daily alcohol intake is healthy and headed in the right direction,” explains Lee. Reducing alcohol consumption should begin with determining your baseline of use since your taper schedule depends on how much you drink before you start decreasing your intake.
Strategies For Tapering Off Alcohol
Keep in mind that there is no medically recommended tapering schedule. But if you do plan on tapering, it is wise to discuss your tapering schedule with a doctor before attempting it. Alcohol withdrawal occurs when neurotransmitters that combat the effects of alcohol on the nervous system suddenly have nothing to counteract them. Essentially, when an individual drinks, the brain amplifies certain activities to counterbalance the depressive effect alcohol has on it.
Alcoholism: Top 10 Health Questions Answered
Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal, especially when someone attempts to go through it unsupervised. Alcoholism, more correctly known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), impacts more than 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 12. Luckily, there are ways to safely reduce your alcohol consumption and get your life back on track.
“Replacing time or events spent drinking with other enjoyable activities is helpful. Exercise, family time, or cooking may provide distraction and promote your wellness,” Dr Lee said. Many people employ medication-assisted treatment for alcohol use to help curb the euphoric effects of alcohol. There are many other potential diseases that long-term alcohol use can cause, and it is important to stop using alcohol heavily if you are.
Staffed by medical professionals, these programs offer 24-hour monitoring so you always have support if any complications arise. However, if you don’t taper properly, you may experience withdrawal symptoms, especially if you have severe alcoholism. Going “cold turkey” means abruptly stopping drinking entirely, leading to uncomfortable withdrawal effects.
