Content
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. Whether you’re a daily imbiber, heavy drinker, or frequent binge drinker, you’re likely to experience withdrawal symptoms when you quit.
Is it better to cut down on alcohol before quitting?
Cutting down your drinking is also a positive goal, and it can even be the first step to quitting entirely. If you're ready to address your drinking, don't be afraid to reach out for help. It's much easier to make positive changes when you've got help and support from other people.
If you feel severe symptoms, such as hallucinations, rapid heartbeat or disorientation, call 911 immediately. The alcohol content in specific beer, wine and liquor products differs. You can use the guidelines to get an idea of how many standard drinks you’re used to. Experts https://ecosoberhouse.com/ at The HAMS Harm Reduction Network, which comprises doctors, social workers, therapists and other experts, recommend using beer to taper because it’s easier to get drunk from liquor or wine. Gain the perspective of those who have attempted tapering off alcohol.
Finding Help for Alcohol Addiction
If you suddenly stop drinking, your brain will not have enough GABA and can become hyper-excitable, leading to uncomfortable and dangerous withdrawal symptoms like increased heart rate and seizure. If you drink frequently, you can become physically dependent on alcohol, meaning that your brain needs alcohol to function normally. If you stop drinking, your body needs to rapidly adjust to the absence of alcohol, leading to withdrawal symptoms. By talking with your doctor or an addiction treatment specialist, together you can determine a safe tapering schedule that suits your needs.
Alexandra understands addiction from both familial and personal standpoints, as she is active in her own recovery. Alexandra is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend and has learned the value of recovery and succeeding in whatever she sets her mind to. Her innovative approach as Director of Operations gives her clients a safe and compassionate place at The Freedom Center to begin their recovery journey. Her experience in behavioral health training, program development, and organizational leadership lead her to pursue a certification as a Project Management Professional in 2018.
Tapering Off Alcohol vs. Quitting Cold Turkey
People who have attempted to stop drinking in the past and relapsed back into alcohol abuse are the most likely to develop AWS or delirium tremens. They may have suffered the loss of a loved one and are struggling to overcome the grief. In fact, according to the NIAAA, someone with AUD is 3.6 times more likely to also suffer from a mood disorder. Specifically, excessive drinking can cause an imbalance in the important brain neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
Tapering involves slowly decreasing alcohol use over time, which helps to reduce withdrawal symptoms and improve safety when quitting alcohol. It can be tempting to just “rip off the Band-Aid” when getting sober, but tapering off alcohol is often much safer—and much less stressful. Rather than quitting how to taper off alcohol drinking abruptly (or “cold turkey”), many professionals recommend gradually reducing your drinking (or tapering) over time. This can give your body the chance to adjust, helping you avoid the worst of withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol is a deadly substance that impacts millions of Americans annually.
What is Quitting Cold Turkey?
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. Because tapering can be tricky and alcohol withdrawal syndrome can be dangerous, you should never start a taper before talking to your doctor. Addiction experts have not conducted many studies on alcohol tapering.
- By Buddy T
Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.
- If you successfully complete our 90-day treatment program, we guarantee you’ll stay clean and sober, or you can return for a complimentary 30 days of treatment.
- Once your alcohol tapering schedule is complete, the work of maintenance begins.
- Aside from unavoidable triggers, tapering off alcohol can also have side effects which can be difficult to manage at home.
- Programs such as inpatient or outpatient rehab, medical detox, individual or family therapy and support groups are available.
Prefer Topiramate or Gabapentin if patients are intolerant to or have not responded to Naltrexone and Acamprosate. This is offered to patients with moderate to severe Alcohol Use Disorder, having the goal of achieving abstinence. Note that Disulfiram it is not a cure to alcoholism, and a full therapy must be used. There are two types of triggers that can set off a person’s urge to drink.
The Potential Harms of Going Cold Turkey
Alcohol withdrawal can begin within hours of ending a drinking session. 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. Alcohol withdrawal occurs when neurotransmitters that combat the effects of alcohol on the nervous system suddenly have nothing to counteract them.