Medical professionals recommend quitting cold turkey and using medications to treat symptoms. They suggest this approach because your odds of success are higher. This is why you should use medical help, whether tapering or quitting cold turkey.
My first recommendation is to seek professional help at an inpatient rehab facility, a dedicated detox center, or, in severe cases, the emergency room. Because tapering is not the recommended way to stop using alcohol, there is no recommended tapering schedule. If you plan to taper, you must create a schedule that is right for you. Substitution involves replacing alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic ones. This can help address the habitual aspect of drinking, like having a beverage in hand at social events without the alcohol content.
Just for reference a 12 ounce regular strength (5%) beer is one standard drink. A standard (750 ml) bottle of wine at 12% alcohol contains 5 standard drinks. A 750 ml bottle of 80 proof booze contains 17 standard drinks. A substitution taper refers to switching strong liquor for an alternative that contains less alcohol, like beer.
There Are Multiple Evidence-Based Roads to Recovery
Whatever method you use to taper down, your plan should also be approved and monitored by a healthcare profession to ensure your safety. Working with a physician on the Monument platform can help determine what timeline will work for you based on your past drinking habits and risk of withdrawal. Whatever schedule is chosen, it’s important to commit so you can build upon your progress and avoid withdrawal symptoms as much as possible. When done under medical supervision, tapering off alcohol has few downsides. However, tapering can sometimes be unsafe if you attempt to do so on your own without a doctor’s knowledge. 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.
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By gradually decreasing alcohol consumption over time, individuals can adjust to lower alcohol levels without triggering severe withdrawal symptoms. Research indicates that a carefully managed tapering schedule can decrease the likelihood of relapse and facilitate a smoother transition to abstinence. However, the efficacy of tapering alone without medical supervision is questionable, as studies show that withdrawal symptoms can persist despite the gradual reduction of alcohol use. Safe alcohol withdrawal is an important part of starting a recovery process. For this reason, you should not abruptly stop alcohol use after a long period of heavy use without medical supervision.
- The main downside of tapering off is that it requires discipline.
- Contact emergency health services if you or someone you know experiences more than one symptom of severe alcohol withdrawal.
- Exercise can be a beneficial component of a comprehensive strategy to reduce alcohol consumption, but it should not be the sole method.
- Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are related to the hyperactivity of your brain and will continue until your brain fully adjusts to the absence of alcohol.
- Likewise if your average consumption is 6 standard drinks per day you can set a taper schedule of 4, 2, 0.
Others may discover after consulting with a doctor that it’s safe for them to quit alcohol cold turkey if they choose to. However, they may still decide that tapering down feels most achievable for them. If you’re not sure if cold turkey or tapering is right for you, you can join the Monument Community to hear from others who have confronted similar questions. This is the most commonly accepted method of stopping alcohol by the medical community. However, there are risks to this method, and someone stopping alcohol should receive medical monitoring and care if they are likely to experience moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms. Quitting cold turkey allows the shortest detox period and a rapid transition into the next recovery stages.
Can Tapering Down Alcohol Use Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms?
Just because you had 8 drinks instead of 6 one day doesn’t mean you’ve failed, especially if you still drank the same or less than the previous day. Maybe you just need https://appsychology.com/living-in-a-sober-house/ to set more realistic goals for yourself and slow your taper. I’ve also heard of people successfully stopping by reducing their moderate drinking (8-10 a day) to 5-6 a day for a couple days, and then quitting entirely. Although I didn’t experience any seizures, I certainly wouldn’t recommend it. The chance of experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms increases if you’ve had them before, or if you’re older.
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It can be easy to underestimate how much you drink, and being as accurate as possible is important. Start by estimating how much you drink on a daily basis—and be honest with yourself. It can help to make use of standard drink measurements, as mentioned above. Then come up with a reduction rate you think will be safe, and that you can stick to. Keep the big picture in mind through a goal such as reducing your drinking overall in a week, month, or year,” Dr Lee said.
Direct tapering is not recommended for liquor drinkers as it is challenging to measure amounts and can result in binge drinking. Additionally, mixed drinks may contain sugar or other additives that could exacerbate withdrawal symptoms and should be avoided during the taper. Once your alcohol tapering schedule is complete, maintenance begins. You must continue abstaining from alcohol and monitor cravings or urges to drink.
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. Each individual’s journey to reduce alcohol intake will be unique, and these solutions should be adapted to fit personal circumstances and needs.
- Note that in some states, doctors may commit individuals at risk of harming themselves to 72 hours of involuntary treatment for addiction.
- “Any relative reduction in daily alcohol intake is healthy and headed in the right direction,” explains Lee.
- Our 30-day inpatient program offers the most structured and supportive pathway to ongoing recovery from alcohol addiction.
- Severe withdrawal symptoms, called delirium tremens (DT) can be fatal.
- 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.
You might select a light beer instead of a harder liquor, like whiskey. To curb habitual drinking, alternating between alcohol and water is useful. Once your taper is complete, discard or immediately give away any remaining alcohol in your house and try to avoid high-risk environments such as bars, liquor stores, casinos, etc.
Rather than beginning your sober life drained and dazed from a week of feeling ill, you can already be getting on your feet. You don’t have to mention anything about your drinking if you don’t want to, but make sure you’re in good shape. Remember, doctors are (usually) intelligent people who spent over a decade studying medicine to help people. Everything you say is confidential and you’re paying them to HELP you. The chances of seizures and DTs are low if you’re tapering, but they happen even in controlled rehab environments. In this study on tapering with a benzo, about 1% of patients had a seizure after completing their taper.
We offer 16 detox beds and around-the-clock medical care provided by a multidisciplinary team of addiction experts. If you want to change your relationship with alcohol, it’s important to have an honest conversation with a doctor about your drinking habits before you start tapering off. They’ll be able to help you create a tapering schedule that won’t only raise your chance of success but also avoid severe symptoms. Staying hydrated and maintaining proper nutrition is also vital, as alcohol withdrawal can lead to dehydration and nutrient imbalances. Proper hydration and nutrition can alleviate some withdrawal symptoms and support overall health during the tapering process. Symptoms of alcohol dependence include cravings, increased tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms when alcohol consumption is reduced or stopped.
Tapering is the process of gradually decreasing your consumption of a substance over time to lessen 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.
Getting curious about a life without alcohol is already an incredible step, and a healthier lifestyle is within reach. This is a highly personal decision, which can be made through self-reflection, and with the support of a medical professional and your peers. If it’s safe for you to quit cold turkey, you may find that cutting alcohol out entirely from the start helps you clearly uphold your boundaries. Or, you may find that quitting all at once is too drastic and decide to start Sober House Rules: A Comprehensive Overview by practicing harm reduction.