Many people fail to successfully quit drinking at least once before managing to attain sobriety. 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. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms range in severity depending on how extensive the misuse behavior was.

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. Tapering will normally create less severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms but will spread them out over a prolonged period.

• Quitting binge drinking may require different strategies than either tapering or cold turkey.
• Overcoming regress can be tough whilst battling addiction and whilst placed in a negative mindset.
• However, various strategies can help you cope with these symptoms and make the journey toward sobriety more manageable.
• A person may need to detox at home for many reasons, including cost or time.
• Anxiety, depression, and mood swings can all arise as your body adjusts to lower alcohol levels.

How To Cut Back on Drinking Alcohol: 7 Steps Toward Mindful Drinking

Below are some ideas to help people reduce their drinking by alcohol tapering. These can indicate a life threatening condition called delirium tremens. It’s important to seek urgent medical care if you experience any of these symptoms. There is no shame in admitting this — the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 28.9 million Americans suffered from alcohol use disorder in 2023 alone.

Severity and Treatment Options

Typically, quitting cold turkey from a 12-beer-a-day habit is going to be more stressful than tapering off slowly. For example, healthcare providers usually don’t take patients off antidepressants suddenly; rather, they gradually lower the dosages to help reduce antidepressant discontinuation symptoms. Fortunately, deaths Sober Houses Rules That You Should Follow resulting from alcohol withdrawal are a rare occurrence.

Recovery Programs

Tapering helps people stop using alcohol and other substances in small and manageable steps. This can help your body adjust, and it can be easier to manage than quitting cold turkey. Due to this, withdrawal strategies should always be recommended on a per-client basis, which we follow here at Step One Recovery. Yet for a general roundup of the average withdrawal, here’s some insight as we consider ‘can tapering off alcohol improve withdrawal symptoms? Whilst tapering off medications or certain substances may be recommended, this isn’t the case for every alcoholic. Some may experience improvements throughout their withdrawal experience, whilst others may regress and revert to their binge drinking habits.

• If the drink of choice is liquor, it is difficult to measure amounts and easy to binge drink.
• “Any relative reduction in daily alcohol intake is healthy and headed in the right direction,” explains Lee.
• Build a network of people you can go to when you need help, join a support group or see a therapist.
• The goal of tapering down is to make a gradual change while causing less stress on your body, both physically and emotionally.
• It can help to make use of standard drink measurements, as mentioned above.

Strategize for Your Goals

Dr Lee explains that choosing a non-alcoholic beer or a caffeinated beverage can help provide a small buzz. Alcohol withdrawal can cause many symptoms, some of which can be fatal.

The second is that it can be demotivating, and helpless, where an addict will instead benefit from a medical detox. Furthermore, in certain cases, a healthcare professional may suggest a benzodiazepine regimen to replace the body’s alcohol needs during tapering. This strategy can help manage withdrawal symptoms and facilitate a safer and more comfortable tapering process. This involves keeping track of your alcohol intake and noting any withdrawal symptoms that may occur.

Consuming a lighter alcoholic drink like beer also makes it easier for someone to stay hydrated throughout the taper. However, understanding how an alcohol taper works and what the process is like can help you prepare yourself and find the support you need. As you navigate this question, it can be helpful to think about how you typically prefer to approach change. Metaphorically speaking, do you like to dip your toe in first, or cannonball right in? As long as safety precautions are taken, there’s no wrong way to begin a sobriety or moderation journey. This journey is often non-linear, and your goals can change over time.

Choosing to taper off alcohol is an admirable decision and a step in the right direction. As with many self-detox methods, the risks and rewards go https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ hand in hand when attempting to overcome an alcohol substance use disorder. But, with a little prior knowledge on how to taper off alcohol, adequate planning and professional consultation from a healthcare provider, it can certainly be done. Those who are dependent on alcohol can taper off safely by engaging with supervised medical detoxification at one of our pet-friendly treatment facilities. After about one week of detox, you can transition into inpatient treatment. Our 30-day inpatient program offers the most structured and supportive pathway to ongoing recovery from alcohol addiction.

Substituting a prescription drug for alcohol should only happen with the help of a medical professional. No one should ever attempt a substitution taper with prescription medication unless their doctor specifically prescribed it for that purpose in a medical detox program. Telling your close friends and family about your plan to taper off alcohol can provide you with a strong support system. Their encouragement can help you stay motivated and hold you accountable for sticking to your plan.

What Is Crank Drug? Addiction, Dangers, & Treatment

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.

However, quitting cold turkey or tapering is not advisable for people with an AUD. These programs offer more flexibility than residential rehab, while still supporting a healthy lifestyle for people in recovery. Sober living homes provide a comfortable, safe place for you to focus on your healing.

Substituting alcohol in between consumption can help to slowly adapt habits and choices. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.