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. Medically assisted detoxification (detox) is an inpatient program that keeps you stabilized during alcohol withdrawals.
You should not begin a tapering plan before talking to your doctor. Based on your medical history, your doctor can advise you about the safety of the taper. These are offered to patients with moderate to severe Alcohol Use Disorder, having the goal of reducing alcohol comsumption and achieving abstinence. Prefer Topiramate or Gabapentin if patients are intolerant to or have not responded to Naltrexone and Acamprosate.
What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol?
For this reason, you should not suddenly quit drinking without talking to your doctor. The consequences of quitting alcohol cold turkey can be serious and lead to alcohol withdrawal syndrome, which can be fatal in severe cases. For others, simply cutting back the number of drinks can bring on alcohol withdrawal symptoms. https://en.forexpamm.info/sober-sayings-and-sober-quotes/ The main downside of cold turkey is how unpleasant and risky it can be. If you drink heavily, alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be harsh, dangerous, and even fatal. For this reason, it’s generally best to avoid quitting abruptly, or at bare minimum speak with a doctor first and have someone looking out for you.
In medical detox, you receive around-the-clock care from doctors and nurses to help prevent and treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms and their complications. This can set you up for a safe and effective detox and put you in a good position to continue your recovery in rehab. Alcohol addiction is dangerous, and the best way to reduce the risks of drinking is to stop using alcohol. Tapering your alcohol intake, or slowly decreasing it over time, can help you avoid severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms. People who have alcohol use disorder that goes undiagnosed may have an especially difficult time cutting back on their alcohol consumption. If you’re struggling to stick to a taper or do not trust yourself to moderate your alcohol use, having strict supervision and support can help you meet your recovery goals.
How do I taper off with other meds?
If you want to cut back your alcohol consumption or stop drinking alcohol altogether, tapering may help. Tapering is the process of gradually weaning off alcohol rather than quitting cold turkey. Tapering is the practice of reducing the consumption of alcohol over a period of time until the amount of alcohol in the system has dropped to zero.
However, doing so without the guidance of a physician, can complicate tapering and ultimately delay when, if ever, sobriety is reached. Tapering off alcohol is the act of slowly reducing alcohol intake until a person becomes completely abstinent. In most cases, the longer you take to wean off the effects of alcohol, the less severe your withdrawal symptoms should be. However, it can be challenging to stick with a long-term tapering schedule, so you have to find the right balance for you.
How to – Tapering/Weaning Off Alcohol: What You Need To Know
Finally, finding a therapist or a recovery coach can help you develop new coping mechanisms and move forward in your life. The main difference between tapering and cold turkey is how fast you quit. Cold turkey is a common slang term for quitting alcohol (or any substance) all at once.
- The goal of tapering down is to make a gradual change while causing less stress on your body, both physically and emotionally.
- If you’re interested in medication-assisted treatment, medication to curb cravings can be a helpful tool for reducing your consumption.
- Tapering off alcohol is the act of slowly reducing alcohol intake until a person becomes completely abstinent.
- When coming off drugs or alcohol tapering is the best way to prevent severe withdrawal symptoms.
Personal health, both physical and mental, as well as someone’s current drinking habits, should also be taken into account before deciding on anything. Cutting down your alcohol intake may not be as easy as it sounds. People who want to reduce their alcohol consumption often do not realize how much of their social and daily routines alcohol has Why Some People Have A Higher Alcohol Tolerance Than Others 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.
Medical Supervision & Support
Tapering off alcohol was long ago considered the primary approach for alcoholism treatment. While it is possible to manage alcohol detoxification without medical supervision, it is extremely dangerous and can be fatal. Along with increased direct risks to one’s health, tapering also results in a much higher relapse rate. Here we will examine the unique risks and methods that people have used to taper off alcohol.
- The best schedule varies based on how much you drink each day and your overall health.
- If you are seeking drug and alcohol related addiction rehab for yourself or a loved one, the sponsored hotline is a confidential and convenient solution.
- Some detox programs also offer therapy to prepare you for addiction treatment.
- Minor symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be overcome with rest and at-home remedies, and it is possible for some people to taper off alcohol without supervision.
- This leads to raised blood pressure, raised pulse rate, rapid breathing, fever, hallucinations, seizures and D.T.s.
These strategies work in different ways to help you quit drinking, and one or the other may be appropriate for you based on your needs. Tapering alcohol is beneficial because you can avoid alcohol withdrawal symptoms. This is because when you drink heavily for months or years, your body can start to depend on alcohol to function normally. When you are physically dependent on a substance like alcohol, your body adapts accordingly. Sunshine Behavioral Health strives to help people who are facing substance abuse, addiction, mental health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. It does this by providing compassionate care and evidence-based content that addresses health, treatment, and recovery.
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