Finding a different, more healthy way to unload stress may go a long way in helping someone succeed in cutting back on their alcohol use. 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).
Our hope is to create the safest, most comfortable environment for you to begin your treatment journey. 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. Slowly reducing your drinking over time instead of suddenly stopping allows your brain to change its response to GABA. Seizures can also occur within the first 24 to 48 hours, although these are less likely to occur in people with less severe alcohol dependency.
Pros and Cons of Tapering Off Alcohol Intake
The numbers may be less for women, individuals with smaller bodies, and people who are underweight. It can be tricky to handle social situations as you cut back on drinking, especially if you’re around other people who are drinking or who are used to you drinking. If you’ll be out with close friends or family you’re comfortable with, let them know ahead of time that you’re not drinking. It’s easier to blend in with a glass in your hand, even if it’s just a Coke. If you find yourself in a situation where someone offers you a drink, just politely decline. Most of the time, people will back off, and if they don’t, stand firm and say you’re not drinking tonight.
Remember your motivation for cutting back and set realistic goals. In addition, social pressures can make it hard to quit drinking, especially if your friends or family also drink heavily. Quitting drinking can feel very isolating, making it even more difficult to do alone at home without medical support. Unfortunately, alcohol tapering has not been extensively studied. This means that there is little data about the best way to taper your drinking. However, some groups have published tapering examples to assist those trying to quit drinking.
Professional Help for Weaning off Alcohol
Find a reason to stay sober and keep that in mind as you go through this process. Ultimately, you need to decide to get sober for yourself, but if getting sober for someone else or something else motivates you in the beginning, it’s still a step in the right direction. From what I understand, most hospitals WILL give you 3-5 days worth of benzos to taper with at home. Most doctors would rather save the beds in their psych wards for people who are actually suicidal and send you home. If you’re really committed to cutting back, one of the best things you can do is get the booze out of your house. This is also a good opportunity to find alternatives to some of your favorite drinks.
- When the alcohol is completely taken away then this adrenaline and its cousins are left to run rampant in the brain.
- Ideally, pick someone who doesn’t also have a problem with alcohol.
- While it is generally the medically recommended method of stopping alcohol, it requires medical supervision to be safe.
- People with moderate to severe alcohol addiction may find an alcohol taper difficult to accomplish.
- Tapering off alcohol may complicate other medical conditions or co-occurring mental health disorders.
Some people have done a rapid taper in which they go from their baseline to zero in a weekend or so. While this probably still reduces the risk of a seizure or DTs, it’s certainly better than just quitting completely on day one, you’re going to be putting your body and brain through hell doing this. Make sure they’re aware of the severe withdrawal symptoms that can occur and tell them what to do if you experience them (get a drink and possibly call 911). If you have a seizure, the best thing they can do is stay with you, move any hazardous objects out of the way, prevent you from falling on anything hard, and call 911. They shouldn’t hold you down and there’s no real need to worry about choking on your tongue. If you’ve been drinking for a long time, tapering off can cause withdrawal symptoms.
How do I know if I need to taper off?
This is especially true of heavy drinkers who are surrounded by the triggers that encourage drinking and lack the support needed to encourage change. If you plan to taper your drinking in order to stop, make sure that you limit your intake consistently, avoid fluctuations, and adhere to a weekly reduction schedule with a set date to stop. These can indicate a life threatening condition called delirium tremens. It’s important to seek urgent medical care if you experience any of these symptoms. There is also the matter of the specific type of alcohol in question. Overstimulation in your nervous system can affect important unconscious functions like your heart rate, blood pressure, and electrical impulses.
Just don’t convince yourself that you can be a normal drinker after stressfully forcing yourself to do this a few times. If you don’t really like hard seltzer, like me, drink hard seltzer. It has a lot of water and you can find them in the 4.5-5% range. I wouldn’t how to taper off alcohol recommend getting anything above 7% for your taper. If you don’t like beers, drink beers (find ones with lower alcohol, some have high concentrations). You can also take break days, where you drink the same amount as the previous day to sort of level yourself off.
Getting Ready
While the safest way to taper is with professional help in a detox facility, this may not be an option for everyone. A person may need to detox at home for many reasons, including cost or time. A substitution taper can involve substituting a prescription drug for alcohol. It can also involve substituting the drink of choice with another drink; for example, a person may taper off hard alcohol with beer. Tapering off alcohol is a reasonable strategy for anyone who desires to stop drinking. A taper can be especially helpful for those who find they cannot stop drinking without experiencing negative symptoms.
Be prepared to have these things on hand for when a craving strikes so you can nip it in the bud. Tapering can be a long process that takes weeks or even months to finish. Although it is possible to taper at home, having medical supervision and assistance can ensure a successful taper. A doctor can supervise your tapering progress, helping you manage your cravings and prevent relapse. Overall, getting professional help can improve your chances for long-term sobriety.
Alcohol abuse affects how you feel and how you make decisions. It’s especially influential if you have an alcohol use disorder. Don’t try to reduce your alcohol intake based on what feels right. The Recovery Village Ridgefield medical detox center in Vancouver, WA, is a fully staffed rehab facility designed to help you wean off alcohol in comfort. We offer 16 detox beds and around-the-clock medical care provided by a multidisciplinary team of addiction experts.
- Find a reason to stay sober and keep that in mind as you go through this process.
- Monitoring you pulse and blood pressure can be a very good idea while you are tapering especially if you have high blood pressure.
- It may also mess with your sleep, and poor sleep hygiene can lead to further health concerns, like obesity and diabetes.
- They may have a mild-to-moderate substance use problem without being chemically dependent.
- For example, if you normally drink 20 units a day, try reducing this to 18 units a day.
- This is a benefit that isn’t available to all who attempt to taper at home.
- It can lower the severity of symptoms, and it can make you more likely to meet your goals.