Tapering off alcohol may complicate other medical conditions or co-occurring mental health disorders. You should plan to taper for between three and seven https://newhomeeasy.com/terrible-phrase-female-alcoholism-causes-treatment.html days depending on how much you’re used to drinking. Slowly reduce the amount of alcohol you consume each day until you reach sobriety. If you begin to experience serious withdrawal symptoms, drink enough to make the symptoms subside. That said, tapering off alcohol doesn’t completely eliminate withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol withdrawal is dangerous and it’s important to be careful throughout the process.
How to safely taper off your alcohol consumption
Tapering off alcohol provides a smoother transition compared to quitting abruptly. Gradually reducing alcohol intake allows the body to adapt to lower levels of alcohol over time. This approach can help prevent or minimize the potentially severe physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms that can occur when stopping suddenly.
How Does Alcohol Dependence Work in the Brain?
Alcoholism is linked to many chronic diseases, including heart disease, liver disease, and http://www.socioforum.ru/profile.php?mode=viewprofile&u=36700 certain cancers. Chronic, heavy drinking can significantly increase your risk of serious illness and premature death. Unless an AUD is addressed, the health problems drinking causes may be unstoppable. This involves directly reducing the amount of alcohol you consume regularly. For example, if you typically drink five beers a night, you might cut down to four, then three, and so on. A Southern California detox and residential program offering personalized, evidence-based treatment in a tech-friendly and pet-friendly atmosphere.
Setting Realistic Goals
- Weaning off alcohol is considerably safer and more effective than going cold turkey.
- Tapering off alcohol is a method of reducing your alcohol intake gradually.
In addition, social pressures can make it hard to quit drinking, especially if your friends or family also drink heavily. Quitting drinking can feel very isolating, making it even more difficult to do alone at home without medical support. This method is safer than abruptly stopping alcohol consumption, especially when switching from hard liquor to beer. Drinking beer can also help maintain hydration throughout the taper.
- As a rule of thumb, HAMS (a harm reduction support organization) suggests reducing your consumption by two standard drinks per day until you reach zero.
- The tapering down process can take place for the first several weeks or even months of the alcohol recovery timeline.
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. Further, the severity of withdrawal symptoms can cause a person to resort back to drinking alcohol to relieve any symptoms. However, doing so without the guidance of a physician, can complicate tapering and ultimately delay when, if ever, sobriety is reached. The amount of alcohol it takes to cause withdrawal symptoms can vary from person to http://seaman-sea.ru/tankera/599-podgotovka-tankera-k-proverke.html person.
