The amount of time it takes to taper off of alcohol can vary greatly from person to person. Some people can taper quickly and quit alcohol completely, while others may take longer. But deciding to cut back on drinking is much more important than the length of your alcohol taper. When someone stops drinking, they must decide whether to quit “cold turkey” or taper their alcohol use.
What Is Alcohol Tapering?
Alcohol withdrawal can be deadly, especially for people with alcohol use disorder. If you or your loved one are suffering from alcoholism, seek out professional help from a detox facility or rehab to wean off alcohol. As many as 71% of people who go through alcohol detox experience symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.
Consider a Medical Detox
- If you’ve decided to taper off alcohol, you’ll need to be prepared with some strategies to make the process easier.
- To calculate your baseline, you must know how many standard drinks you consume daily.
- This is offered to patients with moderate to severe Alcohol Use Disorder, having the goal of achieving abstinence.
- Although with this method, it is important that the friend or family member is accessible when symptoms of withdrawals such as tremors return.
- This means that there is little data about the best way to taper your drinking.
We will help you find the resources you need for alcohol use disorder. A strong community can go a long way to helping cut down on alcohol use. If you are serious about mindful drinking, ask your friends, family, or other trusted member of your community to help you cut back. You can plan fun events that don’t center around alcohol, and they can assist in keeping you accountable to your goals.
Challenges of Cutting Down Your Alcohol Intake
With that being said, tapering is a lot safer than going cold turkey. Although going cold turkey on opioids is dangerous and can cause significant withdrawal symptoms, quitting alcohol cold turkey can be fatal. An alcohol taper can be effective in beginning recovery and help set a realistic goal for those not ready to quit alcohol completely, but they’re not for everyone. Someone who has been drinking heavily for a long period may Sober House Rules: A Comprehensive Overview struggle with cravings and alcohol withdrawal symptoms, leading to relapse. For people with moderate to severe alcohol addiction, utilizing an alcohol detox center is always the safest option. Alcohol detox centers have professionals trained to recognize and treat complications caused by alcohol withdrawal.
How Long Does it Take to Taper Off Alcohol?
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.
If you go through alcohol withdrawal multiple times, a kindling effect can occur. With kindling, the brain becomes increasingly sensitized to stopping alcohol. In turn, you can suffer from increasingly severe withdrawal symptoms every time you try to stop drinking. If you start to experience significant withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking, a taper can provide a much safer method to detox from alcohol.
- Alcohol tapering is a way to quit drinking while reducing your risk of withdrawal and complications.
- Alcohol withdrawal is dangerous and it’s important to be careful throughout the process.
- If your body becomes physically dependent on alcohol, you may experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking.
- Take the first step towards a happier, healthier life at The Haven Detox-New England.
- It is important to note that alcohol tapers are generally not recommended as the best way to stop using alcohol.
Benefits of Getting Professional Help for Tapering Off
Providers who advertise with us must be verified by our Research Team and we clearly mark their status as advertisers. Now that you’ve successfully completed the detoxification process, it’s time to build your sobriety toolkit through treatment. Studies show that those who receive some type of formal treatment after detox are more likely to maintain sobriety8. One of Arizona’s leaders in personalized residential addiction treatment, The Hope House boasts 10,000 sq ft facilities as home to just 10 patients at a time. There are two types of triggers that can set off a person’s urge to drink. External triggers are people, places, things, or times that offer opportunities to drink and remind a person of alcohol.
It is of the utmost importance that anyone considering tapering off alcohol first consult with a medical professional to determine their treatment needs. Because symptoms such as seizures and delirium tremens can be fatal, reducing alcohol consumption can be dangerous for some. It is therefore extremely important that you talk to your doctor before you start the process of weaning off alcohol. Tapering down also increases the likelihood that the individual will achieve sobriety.
Navigating Challenges in Alcohol Tapering
- When you quit drinking, you should also seek medical advice about any alcohol withdrawal symptoms you experience.
- Ideally, your support network will include mental health, medical, and addiction treatment professionals, as well as friends and family.
- This condition is frequently fatal without treatment and requires hospitalization.
- After successfully completing detox, there are additional treatment options at Serenity Lane.
- Typically, when a person thinks about the word tapering they think of tapering off medications like opioids.
Once you know it is medically safe to stop drinking, you should loop in a therapist or addiction specialist. They will be able to help you uncover the underlying causes of your drinking issues and properly diagnose any co-occurring mental health conditions that you may be suffering from. For some people who consume alcohol, tapering just doesn’t work. Maybe they don’t have peer support or maybe their alcohol addiction is too severe.