Tapering Off Alcohol: Weaning Off Alcohol to Avoid Withdrawal Symptoms

For that reason, it’s best to speak to a doctor or clinician when you’ve decided to stop drinking before you quit cold turkey. However, an alcohol use disorder doesn’t just affect your physical health. Alcoholism tapering off alcohol can affect multiple areas of your life, including your relationships, career, financial stability, and mental health. Alcohol addiction is a progressive disease that can cause you to become dependent on alcohol.

Withdrawal and Safety When Tapering Off Alcohol

• BetterHelp offers affordable mental health care via phone, video, or live-chat.
• Implementing healthy coping mechanisms is essential to replace the role alcohol plays in an individual’s life.
• Attempting to quit all at once can lead to severe symptoms that can be difficult to manage safely outside of a detox setting.
• You watch as your family member or friend slowly changes with each tip of the bottle.
• Generally speaking, alcohol home detox is neither the most effective nor the safest method of quitting alcohol.

The severity of alcohol withdrawal is categorized into three stages. Not all people progress through all of the stages of alcohol withdrawal. The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal relate proportionately to the level of alcohol intake and the duration of the person’s recent drinking habit. Seizures can also occur within the first 24 to 48 hours, although these are less likely to occur in people with less severe alcohol dependency. Withdrawal seizures can be a sign of delirium tremens, which can occur as soon as 48 hours after a person’s last drink. Dr. Streem says that if your goal is to stop drinking altogether, you’re more likely to have success quitting all at once, rather than weaning off alcohol.

How To Make an Alcohol Tapering Schedule

Being close to someone addicted to alcohol can bring an immense amount of stress into your life. A lot of emotions — frustration, sadness, bitterness and more — may whirl through your mind. Seizures can occur within the first 24 hours, but seizures occur only in about 25 percent of patients, according to the NIAAA.

What Does it Mean to Taper Off Alcohol?

Remember, tapering off alcohol is a highly individualized process, and what works for one person may not work for another. Patience, support, and professional assistance are the cornerstones of a successful alcohol tapering strategy. By setting a structured plan, individuals can systematically decrease their alcohol intake, which may include cutting out one drink at a time at regular intervals. This approach not only reduces the physical symptoms of withdrawal but also allows for psychological preparation for a life without alcohol. Tapering can be a more manageable method of cessation for those who might find abrupt discontinuation overwhelming or medically unsafe.

Medications Used When Tapering Off Alcohol

Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal

• 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.
• Alcohol causes serious changes in the brain, and prolonged symptoms such as sleep problems, mood changes and fatigue may take months to overcome, according to the U.S.
• Or maybe you’re just looking to improve your health, wake up hangover-free and give your liver (and your heart and brain) a break.

• Tapering off alcohol requires careful planning and may include the use of medications to assist in the process.
• Being surrounded by triggers can make it extremely difficult to stay on track and avoid overdoing it on alcohol.
• Besides its positive health benefits, it can help you quit drinking after weeks or months.