Alcohol Tapering How to Taper Off Alcohol Safely

When you decide to get sober, there are two ways to approach withdrawal. You can quit cold turkey under the guidance of a trained medical detox team, or you can slowly reduce intake. This option is only appropriate for someone who https://stylevanity.com/2023/07/top-5-questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-sober-house.html has an emerging drinking problem. If you have an alcohol problem of a long duration, you should undergo a monitored medical detox. The best way to safely quit drinking is by following the advice of a doctor or treatment center.

A taper may not be right for you if you find yourself frequently drinking more than you intended, trying to cut back and not being able to, or you feel that your alcohol use is affecting your life. People with AUD may be unable to quit drinking alcohol on their own or have attempted to quit before and relapsed. The amount of time it takes to taper off of alcohol can vary greatly from person to person. Some people may be able to taper quickly and quit alcohol completely, while others may take a longer time. But making the difficult decision to cut back on drinking is much more important than the length of your alcohol taper. A medical professional can help you determine if a fast or slow taper, or quitting altogether, is appropriate based on a thorough medical assessment and evaluation of your withdrawal risk.

A Typical Alcohol Tapering Schedule

While cirrhosis scars from excessive drinking are irreversible, quitting alcohol and leading a healthier lifestyle can help your liver heal from alcohol-related liver disease. People who want to reduce their alcohol consumption often do not realize how much of their social and daily routines alcohol has become. Tapering alcohol may be uncomfortable, and there may be subconscious triggers that stimulate the desire to drink alcohol. Stress is a common trigger that makes it hard to modify your alcohol intake. 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. The most useful benzos for alcohol withdrawal are those with a long half-life.

The annual cost of excessive alcohol use to Oregon’s economy each year is $3.5 billion due to lost productivity, health care expenses, criminal justice costs, and motor vehicle crashes. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, or a substance that reduces arousal and stimulation. Alcohol, or ethanol (the type of alcohol in beverages), is an intoxicating or strong ingredient found in beer, wine, and liquor. Alcohol is produced by the fermentation, or the breakdown, of yeast, sugars, and starches.

Drug and Alcohol Addiction

With over 32 years in the arena of addiction and sobriety, he uses his vast experience to provide a unique approach to mentorship and guiding our clients toward a supportive lifestyle of recovery. Mr. Douglas’ experience, strength, and hope inspires those in our program, and prepares them for the real-world journey of recovery. With a robust foundation in 12-step philosophy, Federico can not only educate the clients on the model, but also integrate the tried-and-true principles in a more personal, clinical setting. Alexandra oversees all operations with The Freedom Center to ensure clients are given the best chance at success. She works with The Freedom Center team to develop and implement policies, procedures and oversees Intakes and Transportation.

• They can also ensure you receive fluids to manage dehydration and provide balanced meals to minimize withdrawal effects.
• You can quit cold turkey under the guidance of a trained medical detox team, or you can slowly reduce intake.
• Tapering is the practice of reducing the consumption of alcohol over a period of time until the amount of alcohol in the system has dropped to zero.
• If you have tried tapering off alcohol without success, consider a medically supervised alcohol detox program.

When talking about tapering or gradually reducing alcohol use, it is important to have awareness of possible withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawing from alcohol happens when we reduce or stop alcohol use that has been occurring often for a long period of time. If you can taper off alcohol slowly, you are likely to have mild withdrawal symptoms if any.

What is Quitting Cold Turkey?

At a rehab clinic, an alcohol withdrawal taper can be provided to slowly get you back to normal life. This form of tapering would likely involve medications to eliminate withdrawal symptoms. Slowly, to reduce the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms, you will come off the medication with the goal being complete abstinence from alcohol. When you abruptly stop drinking, your body struggles to rebalance itself, resulting in an excessive increase in the levels of glutamate, an excitatory substance. This surge in glutamate can trigger alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which can be potentially dangerous in certain cases.

• Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are unpleasant effects that occur when you quit alcohol after becoming physically dependent on it.
• After successfully completing detox, there are additional treatment options at Serenity Lane.
• We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals.

This means that if you quit drinking cold turkey, your brain will not have enough GABA. This can cause your brain to become hyper-excitable and leads to withdrawal symptoms. It’s important to keep in mind that Ativan will not prevent alcohol cravings that persist for weeks or months after the alcohol has left your system. For these reasons, it’s important to follow up the detox process with a professional rehab treatment program. Treatment at a licensed, accredited facility like The Recovery Village Palmer Lake can help you cope with cravings and triggers that heighten the risk of relapse. It can also help you address the underlying concerns that led to an alcohol addiction in the first place.

Does Tapering off Alcohol Work?

Research has shown that professional help improves your ability to overcome an addiction to alcohol or cut back if you have found it difficult. The most common research technique among those surveyed is an internet search (61%), followed by asking a doctor or medical professional (55%). If you’re relying on internet searches to find potential treatment centers, make sure to ask these ten questions to find a licensed facility that can meet your needs. Stopping alcohol use is the first step of the recovery journey, but staying sober for longer and longer periods is the goal.

• When you quit cold turkey without supervision, you’re more likely to relapse and binge drink, which increases the likelihood of overdose.
• There are many misconceptions about alcoholism that make it sound like an alcoholic is an easy person to spot, however, many alcoholics function effectively and lead relatively normal lives.
• Our at-home alcohol detox plans allow you to safely overcome substance use and avoid the intense and potentially fatal effects of alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

For this reason, it’s generally best to avoid quitting abruptly, or at bare minimum speak with a doctor first and have someone looking out for you. For others, simply cutting back the number of drinks can bring on alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Because alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, quitting drinking can cause your body to have too much of an excitatory substance called glutamate as it tries to rebalance. This can trigger alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which can be dangerous in some cases. Tapering gradually lowers the amount of alcohol that you use over time. This lessens the severity of withdrawal symptoms, as there is not an abrupt or dramatic change.