Depending on how much alcohol you drink to start with, the amount of time an alcohol weaning schedule takes may vary. For example, those who drink more heavily may need more time to taper than those who drink less alcohol. Further, if you start to develop alcohol withdrawal symptoms during the taper, your doctor may instruct you to pause or slow the taper as a result. These factors can make one person’s taper last longer than another person’s taper.
Creating an Alcohol Weaning Schedule
However, it may be suitable for someone with a lower risk of experiencing alcohol withdrawal, or a person who has access to medical professionals at home. When an individual has developed a substance use disorder or dependence on alcohol, stopping its use outright can seem virtually impossible. On top of this, quitting immediately — or “cold turkey” as many users and professionals call it — can be dangerous. Withdrawal symptoms are generally uncomfortable to deal with, but they can be fatal. To avoid or reduce the impact of the withdrawal symptoms, people struggling with alcohol may choose to progressively taper off alcohol rather than quit abruptly.
Can You Stop Drinking Alcohol Cold Turkey?
The goal is to drink less every day until you hit zero. This is the same thing they’ll do if you go to a detox facility or hospital, except they’ll use medications instead of alcohol for the taper. It requires a lot of willpower and you will be uncomfortable, but it can be done. I know because I’ve done it and I’ve met others who have done it. Deciding to taper off alcohol is a slower process that requires planning, but it can decrease both the chase of experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms and relapse.
How To Wean Yourself off Alcohol Safely
After several days of 5 glasses of wine, you can reduce that down to 4. Eventually, after a period of time, you will have tapered down to zero drinks. If you’re interested in medication-assisted treatment, medication to curb cravings can be a helpful tool for reducing your consumption. As a Certified Professional Recovery Coach, I often speak with people who want to wean off alcohol. The thought of abstaining from alcohol completely can feel daunting, and in some cases, it can even be dangerous without medical supervision.
This will help you figure out a baseline to start your taper. The idea is to religiously take this like medicine for the next week or two. There are multiple health benefits you can experience when you start drinking less alcohol.
The Pros and Cons of Tapering Off Alcohol
When I stop drinking I am going to have debilitating anxiety. (am I exaggerating the debilitating part? No. I promise. I’m barely functional in this state.) So I continue to drink. Is there a way to sort of taper back into normality or am I just deluding myself into continuing to drink? I can’t really take time off work to go kick in a hospital nor do I think it is necessary at this stage. If you’re self-tapering, I assume you don’t want to go to rehab. You can try out any of the things in my guide on Alternatives To Inpatient Drug Rehab.
How much alcohol should I drink when tapering off?
You may still experience some of the less severe withdrawal symptoms. If you notice any severe withdrawal, you may need to slow your taper, drink alcohol immediately, or seek medical attention. However, it is important to be aware of the risks of attempting a taper on your own. Sometimes, people Sober House Rules: A Comprehensive Overview think that they don’t need medical help if their symptoms are mild.
Preparing To Wean Off Alcohol
But from a harm reduction standpoint, it’s much less likely to get you into trouble than alcohol, pills, or harder drugs. If you’re cross-addicted to harder drugs like stimulants or opiates, you need to stop using those. Experience has shown me most people who continue using other hard substances simply get high and then continue drinking. Don’t quit other lighter substances while you’re detoxing from alcohol. I’m specifically talking about things like weed, cigarettes, and vaping. If you notice yourself going through severe withdrawal in the beginning, slow down.
It’s important to nurture a healthy relationship with your body so you can have a healthy relationship with your mind. You can start building the foundation for a happy future by going to rehab for alcohol. The Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper offers comprehensive addiction treatment for drug and alcohol addictions and co-occurring mental health conditions. Alcohol addiction can be difficult and sometimes dangerous to handle on your own. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol addiction, contact us to learn more and get started with alcohol addiction treatment.
Slowly tapering your alcohol use can help you manage mild withdrawal symptoms and decrease the risk of AUD. However, you may experience withdrawal symptoms or relapse if you’re not tapering correctly and safely. If you’ve been drinking for a long time, you may experience withdrawal symptoms when you quit drinking. Typically, quitting cold turkey from a 12-beer-a-day habit is going to be more stressful than tapering off slowly. In addition, home detox may not be effective, appropriate, or safe. Anyone wanting to stop using alcohol may benefit from tapering if they first consult with their doctor to ensure they are tapering safely.
- The more information gained and the more emotional support provided can make a big difference.
- I once went from averaging 25 a day to 10 the first day and five the second day.
- Check out this medical article which provides further detail on withdrawal from alcohol.
- The chances of seizures and DTs are low if you’re tapering, but they happen even in controlled rehab environments.
- For this reason, you should always talk to your doctor before attempting to quit drinking.
- It doesn’t mean you have to go to rehab (though that’s certainly an option).
Or, you may find that quitting all at once is too drastic and decide to start by practicing harm reduction. Reducing alcohol intake can have significant positive effects on mental health. As you reduce your alcohol consumption, you may notice improvements in mood, anxiety, and overall mental well-being.
As long as you are trending downward overall, you’re doing well. If you go over early in the day, you can always slow down. Don’t just give up and drink a fifth because you had your 6 drinks before noon when you meant to have 6 drinks over the whole day. If you must get drunk during your taper, do yourself a favor and just get buzzed, not completely trashed. You can use an app like AlcoTrack (Android) or DrinkControl (Apple) to keep a log of your daily drinking and see your progression. You can enter in the type of drinks you consume and when you drink them to determine the total amount of alcohol you consume each day.
Maybe you just need to set more realistic goals for yourself and slow your taper. If you notice severe hallucinations, extreme brain fog, the world slows down around you; you feel drunk when you’re not, you may have warning signs of delirium tremens (DTs). Always have one of your drinks late at night before you go to bed, to prevent this from happening while you’re sleeping. Tapering can be easier to manage than quitting cold turkey. When you quit alcohol cold turkey, you quit drinking completely and suddenly.
Our state-specific resource guides offer a comprehensive overview of drug and alcohol addiction treatment options available in your area. Stopping alcohol use is the first step of the recovery journey, but staying sober for longer and longer periods is the goal. Getting professional treatment and long-term support are two of the most valuable strategies for avoiding relapse. Don’t know how I did it but somehow I managed to taper myself off over the course of a week. It took a little longer than I would have liked and I came very close to failing https://appsychology.com/living-in-a-sober-house/ but I’ve been dry for 72 hours with zero withdrawal symptoms.
Likewise if your average consumption is 6 standard drinks per day you can set a taper schedule of 4, 2, 0. During this taper, you may notice you’re feeling pretty good again. The first days were miserable, but now you’re a week in, you’re at the 5-6 drinks a day mark, and you feel fine.
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