Alcohol detox medications can make the process safer and more comfortable. 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. If you are tapering off of alcohol, the time it takes depends entirely on how long the taper is and how well you adhere to it.
Symptoms timeline
- You’ll need to stick with gradual reduction every day and not revert to previous levels of consumption, otherwise it won’t work.
- Detox doesn’t treat addiction, which is a disease characterized by compulsive behaviors, such as chronic alcohol use.
- A person is free to increase the taper speed (e.g., lower by three drinks instead of two) as they see fit.
Alcohol can stay in your system for several hours depending on how much you drink. Once it begins to leave your body, early symptoms of withdrawal begin. As such, there is only limited guidance how to taper off alcohol available about the best ways to taper. BetterHelp offers affordable mental health care via phone, video, or live-chat. Having a plan can help you stay on track and it can keep you safe.
What is Tapering?
However, medical treatment is necessary to treat major symptoms of withdrawal. If you properly taper your alcohol use, you’re less likely to experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Gradually reducing the amount of alcohol you drink can help give your body the time it needs to adjust to the lack of alcohol.
Common Withdrawal Symptoms
Another strategy for a successful taper is to drink just enough to keep withdrawal symptoms at bay. If you find it is difficult to prevent yourself from drinking too much and getting drunk, locking your alcohol up in a cabinet and giving your friend or family member the key can help. Although with this method, it is important that the friend or family member is accessible when symptoms of withdrawals such as tremors return. Also, learn to cope with and avoid situations that might cause you to want to drink more.
Someone will slowly diminish the amount they drink with the intention of avoiding the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal completely and will hopefully be able to avoid a relapse as well. Cutting back or completely stopping alcohol consumption is challenging, even if you are not at the point of addiction. The support of medical professionals and psychologists can help you in this process. Educate yourself on potential withdrawal symptoms and have a support system in place.
Once you’ve got a consistent run of three or four days, you can use this information to calculate exactly how much alcohol you have been consuming. Facing up to the extent of your alcohol consumption can be emotionally demanding. But if you’ve previously hidden bottles, filled your recycling bin in the dead of night, or deliberately avoided thinking about how much you’re drinking, you’re not alone. Alcohol tapering is definitely possible, but the question of whether or not it works is not quite as straightforward. In the same way that everyone person is unique and their experience with addiction is going to be unique, the most effective method of recovery is also going to vary from person to person.
Alcohol Taper Sample Schedules
However, nothing in this article is a substitute for individual medical assessment and treatment. In 2019 the Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Services Administration reported that 14.5 millions of americans suffered from Alcohol Use Disorder. Treatment is the best way to ensure long-term abstinence from alcohol. This is especially true if you are suffering from an alcohol use disorder. Addiction alters the chemical balance in a person’s brain, making it extremely difficult to quit drinking alcohol on one’s own.
- Essentially, tapering provides less intense withdrawal symptoms but over a longer amount of time.
- But if you’ve previously hidden bottles, filled your recycling bin in the dead of night, or deliberately avoided thinking about how much you’re drinking, you’re not alone.
- Some people suggest beer, although the amount of fizzy liquid can make this challenging.
- However, tapering can be dangerous if you have severe AUD, leading to uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.
- However, it should not cause someone to become stuck on a step, which would defeat the purpose of a taper.
- Don’t try to reduce your alcohol intake based on what feels right.
- 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 success of these strategies will depend on how much you drink and what you drink.
- To learn about how our substance abuse treatment programs address alcohol dependence and withdrawal management, please contact us today.
Aside from unavoidable triggers, tapering off alcohol can also have side effects which can be difficult to manage at home. Support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or sober living houses can help you get connected with peers who are going through the same journey as you are. A final strategy to assist with an alcohol taper is to get a good network of peer support. There is also the matter of the specific type of alcohol in question. Weaning off alcohol involves gradually decreasing the amount of alcohol you drink. This can be done by reducing the number of drinks, increasing time between drinks or choosing a weaker drink with a lower alcohol content.
