It involves observing and documenting a range of physical and psychological indicators to ensure the tapering process is proceeding as planned and to adjust the schedule if necessary. The Recovery Village Atlanta offers comprehensive addiction treatment for drug and alcohol addictions and co-occurring mental health conditions. Once alcohol is stopped, your brain continues to be hyperactive until it readjusts to the absence of alcohol. This process is often referred to as detox and often causes withdrawal symptoms. This can include symptoms like sweating, tremors, or nausea. Over the long term, many health benefits occur throughout your body.
Tapering vs Cold Turkey
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. A popular way to taper off alcohol is to gradually reduce the number of drinks you consume over a period of time.
- If severe withdrawal symptoms are experienced, the plan may need to be modified to ensure safety and comfort.
- They can monitor your intake and adjust it accordingly to reduce the risk of withdrawal symptoms.
- Withdrawal symptoms are a sign that the taper is going too fast.
- An alcohol taper should only be undertaken under the supervision of a medical professional.
A healthcare provider can tailor the tapering schedule to the individual’s needs, considering factors like dependence and overall health. They can also provide support and resources to manage withdrawal symptoms and address any complications that arise. Creating a tapering schedule you can stick with is a crucial part of weaning yourself off alcohol. The best schedule varies based on how much you drink each day and your overall health. As mentioned above, we strongly recommend speaking with a doctor to ensure your plan is a safe one, and won’t cause dangerous withdrawal symptoms. The idea of Living in a Sober House: Fundamental Rules detoxing or tapering is to prevent the more severe withdrawal effects.
How do you reset your body from alcohol?
The time it takes to taper off alcohol varies based on how much a person drinks. Regardless, The initial detoxification process may take several days. Unfortunately, your brain may be sensitized to withdrawal due to kindling, which can set you up for unexpectedly severe withdrawal symptoms. The safest way to taper off alcohol is with a doctor’s help. 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.
How to safely taper off your alcohol consumption
If you’ve been drinking heavily for a long time and think you might experience withdrawal symptoms, it’s best to talk with a medical professional before you begin a taper. They can help you decide if tapering is the safest option for you. Choosing to taper off alcohol is an admirable decision and a step in the right direction. As with many self-detox methods, the risks and rewards go hand in hand when attempting to overcome an alcohol substance use disorder. But, with a little prior knowledge on how to taper off alcohol, adequate planning and professional consultation from a healthcare provider, it can certainly be done.
- For example, if you start to suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms despite an attempt to taper, your symptoms may worsen before you have the chance to seek medical attention.
- Figuring out where to start your alcohol taper schedule can be challenging.
- Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve a healthier, alcohol-free life.
- A doctor can supervise your tapering progress, helping you manage your cravings and prevent relapse.
Begin your journey to recovery.
Patience, support, and professional assistance are the cornerstones of a successful alcohol tapering strategy. One of the primary challenges is managing withdrawal symptoms, which can range from mild discomfort to severe health risks. Monitoring these symptoms closely and adjusting the tapering schedule is crucial.
How To Taper off Alcohol Safely and Effectively
Your risk of certain diseases decreases, you will begin sleeping better, and your overall health can significantly benefit. 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. Cutting back or completely stopping alcohol consumption is challenging, even if you are not at the point of addiction.
Alcohol Rehab
As the name suggests, this method involves gradually reducing the amount of alcohol you drink over time, so you consume less and less alcohol each day or week. The gradual reduction method can be difficult, as you must strictly control how much you drink daily. 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.
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 recommend getting anything above 7% for your taper. If you don’t like https://appsychology.com/living-in-a-sober-house/ beers, drink beers (find ones with lower alcohol, some have high concentrations). If you notice yourself going through severe withdrawal in the beginning, slow down.
If you try to stop and don’t succeed, it might be even harder the next time you try. On the other hand, quitting cold turkey involves stopping alcohol all at once. The individual must push through the resulting withdrawal symptoms. 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.
- If you’re struggling to wean off alcohol, it might be best to seek addiction treatment.
- Quitting alcohol cold turkey is not recommended and can be dangerous.
- Getting professional help can mitigate harmful withdrawal symptoms and ensure success.
- Medical detox involves stopping alcohol all at once and managing withdrawal symptoms through medications and other treatments instead of reducing them with a taper.
- The Recovery Village at Baptist Health can help you start your recovery with alcohol addiction treatment — safely, comfortably and with your future in mind.
- The main downside of cold turkey is how unpleasant and risky it can be.
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. In addition, social pressures can make it hard to quit drinking, especially if your friends or family also drink heavily.