How To Stop Drinking Alcohol Cleveland Clinic

how to taper off alcohol

My best advice on dealing with these is to buck it up, hug someone if possible, and try to distract yourself. Start by understanding your relationship with alcohol and choosing a date to quit. If you have alcohol use disorder, getting medical help is important. If you’re living with alcohol use disorder, treatment at a medical rehabilitation facility is your best option.

how to taper off alcohol

The problem is that this can drag your taper out for several weeks or even months, depending on how slowly you’ve tapered and how much you’ve been drinking to start. I don’t think I could go through more than a couple weeks of tapering, but you do you. Tapering is the process of gradually decreasing your consumption of a substance over time to lessen eco sober house review the withdrawal symptoms if you’re physically dependent. This is the same thing they’ll do if you go to a detox facility or hospital, except they’ll use medications instead of alcohol for the taper. It requires a lot of willpower and you will be uncomfortable, but it can be done. I know because I’ve done it and I’ve met others who have done it.

The Benefit of Medical Detox for Tapering off Alcohol

In medical detox, doctors and nurses provide around-the-clock care while helping you detox from alcohol. We offer a full continuum of care and are an in-network provider for a range of insurance companies, including Aetna, Cigna and America’s Choice. Contact us today to learn more about the insurance we accept and find an alcohol addiction treatment program that can work well for your situation. If alcohol withdrawal is so dangerous, is tapering off alcohol necessary for everyone who drinks? If you’ve been drinking consistently for a long time, it’s a good idea to consider the safest way to stop when it’s time to cut back.

  • While in the hospital, vitals are monitored and fluids will likely be administered.
  • Depending on how much you drink, tapering off alcohol can take one to several weeks.
  • Glutamate receptor rebound also appears to contribute to the withdrawal symptoms described above.
  • But if you’re living with alcohol use disorder, drinking is more than a habit.

The hardest thing will probably be to stop yourself from starting again. I’ll be honest, your chances of staying sober on your own are slim to none. It doesn’t mean you have to go to rehab (though that’s certainly an option). You can try support groups, therapy, psychiatrists, spiritual groups, and outpatient rehab services. I have a complete guide on Alternatives to Rehab, which has over a dozen different options to select from. It includes a logging section you can use to keep track of your daily alcohol intake, along with some withdrawal warnings.

Consider Medically Assisted Detox

You can try out any of the things in my guide on Alternatives To Inpatient Drug Rehab. I once went from averaging 25 a day to 10 the first day and five the second day. The first night I barely slept because of auditory hallucinations and the second night I had tunnel vision and felt like a stroke victim. I took a few shots and luckily nothing bad happened, but something easily could have happened. If you have a history of seizures, or have had seizures while detoxing in the past, do not, under any circumstances, attempt a self taper.

how to taper off alcohol

The goal of tapering is to make the withdrawal process safer and more bearable. More serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms may require medical attention. If you have a friend or family member who knows that you’re trying to taper off alcohol, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.

How much alcohol should I drink when tapering off?

The process of tapering yourself off alcohol begins with planning. From here, you can plan a schedule for gradually reducing how much you drink per day. Ideally, this schedule will be determined with the assistance of a doctor or addiction treatment professional. The most severe form of alcohol withdrawal is known as delirium tremens, which develops in about 3 to 5% of people with severe alcohol addiction. Delirium tremens is also more common in people of older age, those with a history of seizures, and people with co-occurring illnesses or disorders. Symptoms of delirium tremens can develop within 48 hours and, in some cases, have fatal consequences without proper treatment.

They can also ensure your alcohol detox is successful by making it nigh impossible to relapse if symptoms get difficult. Additionally, the post-detox treatment resources available at a professional treatment center can ease the transition to sober living and give you the tools you need to stay sober long-term. By looking at your medical history and alcohol intake, your doctor can determine whether you need to taper in a medical detox facility or can safely detox at home. An alcohol taper is a way to wean yourself off alcohol and avoid withdrawal symptoms. Although all forms of alcohol cessation should be done with medical guidance, tapering your alcohol intake may allow you to self-wean from drinking at home.

For example, if you notice your tremors are getting pretty bad three days in, drink the same amount you drank on the third day for the following day. Try not to do this for too many days, though, or you may get stuck at that point. This might be a pretty safe way to taper, as long as you’re not decreasing by over 20-30% per step. I’ve heard of some people doing 10% a week and having success that way. If you are already at risk of heart attacks or strokes because of conditions such as obesity or preexisting high blood pressure, monitor your blood pressure carefully. Pick a drink that goes down easy and has a high concentration of water so you don’t get too dehydrated.

Withdrawal symptoms typically subside within approximately 1-2 weeks after starting detox; however, this could take longer depending on the severity of your AUD. From there, you will be able to focus on other aspects of the recovery process such as different activities, therapies, counseling sessions and support options. Only people who are tapering down from very large quantities of alcohol such as a liter of vodka per day will need to start drinking in the morning in order to taper.

It’s especially influential if you have an alcohol use disorder. Don’t try to reduce your alcohol intake based on what feels right. 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.

In turn, you can suffer from increasingly severe withdrawal symptoms every time you try to stop drinking. Long-term alcohol use can lead to alcohol use disorder https://soberhome.net/ (AUD) and physical dependence. If your body becomes physically dependent on alcohol, you may experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking.

What Does “Tapering Off Alcohol” Mean?

While some people may only be affected by minor effects of alcoholism, others may face extreme pain. Withdrawal symptoms can change quickly and aggressively, which is why it’s important to detox under the care of medical professionals. Treatment professionals at a rehab facility will be able to help you manage your pain with different medications. Alcohol addiction is dangerous, and the best way to reduce the risks of drinking is to stop using alcohol.

However, doing so without the guidance of a physician, can complicate tapering and ultimately delay when, if ever, sobriety is reached. Tapering off alcohol is the act of slowly reducing alcohol intake until a person becomes completely abstinent. When you drink heavily, your brain changes its sensitivity to GABA.

Ready to make a change?

It can take different people varying amounts of time to taper off alcohol. How long it takes depends on factors like how much you typically drink. A person who drinks more alcohol will probably have a longer taper than a person who drinks less alcohol. It can take between two to four days for the symptoms of delirium tremens to fully manifest, and at least another three days for them to run their course.