Working with a physician on the Monument platform can help determine what timeline will work for you based on your past drinking habits and risk of withdrawal. Whatever schedule is chosen, it’s important to commit so you can build upon your progress and avoid withdrawal symptoms as much as possible. For others, simply cutting back the number of drinks can bring on alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Just as what is a useful method for one person may not be for another, what is a safe method for someone may not be for someone else. If you suddenly quit drinking, your brain can start to make more of an excitatory substance called glutamate. This excessive glutamate level can lead to alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which can be dangerous.
Study: There's No Perfect Way to Wean Yourself off of Antidepressants - Verywell Health
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However, he does note that it is more difficult to find a medical specialist to help with alcohol abuse, whereas quit smoking clinics are readily available around the country. The detox team not only offers medical support, but is also trained to provide the emotional support needed. It helps to have someone to talk to, to discuss feelings, fears, or concerns regarding treatment and recovery. The detox team can stabilize you both physically and mentally, and prepare you to transition into active treatment. Alcohol consumption can impair coordination and decision-making. If a person chooses to consume alcohol, they should do so safely and take whatever steps are necessary to avoid putting themselves and others in harm’s way.
How to safely taper off your alcohol consumption
They can help you decide if it’s the safest way to start your recovery, and they can help you make a taper plan. When you quit through tapering, you drink a little less each day until you’re able to have no alcohol at all. It can lower the severity of symptoms, and it can make you more likely to meet your goals. Tapering off alcohol helps some people start their recovery journeys. It can also be a good idea for people who don’t want to, or can’t, attend any type of full detoxification program.
Tell them what you're planning on doing, give them a copy of your planned taper schedule, and have them hold all the alcohol to portion out and give to you as needed. Ideally, pick someone who doesn't also have a problem with alcohol. Note that in some states, doctors may commit individuals at risk of harming themselves to 72 hours of involuntary treatment for addiction. These states include, but are not limited to, California, Colorado, Delaware, DC, Florida, Maine, Mass, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
What To Do After You Complete Your Taper
When a person consumes alcoholic beverages, the alcohol builds up in their bloodstream. The liver is the primary organ for eliminating alcohol and needs time to filter the blood and break the alcohol down. Alcohol intoxication is a temporary how to taper off alcohol condition that can impair coordination, decision-making, impulse control, and other functions, which can increase the risk of harm. As such, people may want to sober up to lessen these effects and try to prevent a hangover.
- The thought of abstaining from alcohol completely can feel daunting, and in some cases, it can even be dangerous without medical supervision.
- This might be a pretty safe way to taper, as long as you're not decreasing by over 20-30% per step.
- By talking with your doctor or an addiction treatment specialist, together you can determine a safe tapering schedule that suits your needs.
- I'll be honest, your chances of staying sober on your own are slim to none.
- While cirrhosis scars from excessive drinking are irreversible, quitting alcohol and leading a healthier lifestyle can help your liver heal from alcohol-related liver disease.
- If you're cross-addicted to harder drugs like stimulants or opiates, you need to stop using those.
Another clue that can be an indication of an unhealthy relationship with alcohol is if you make “rules” around drinking. Therapy can help you understand why you drink and learn new habits so you can live a healthy lifestyle that doesn’t rely on alcohol as a crutch. It can also help you gain a new perspective as you consider how your life will change without alcohol.
How Long Does It Take to Wean Off Alcohol?
The suggested methods above may help a person feel and appear more alert but will not decrease blood alcohol levels in their body. Quitting any addictive substance can be extremely difficult, but quitting alcohol is often especially so. Many people fail to successfully quit drinking at least once before managing to attain sobriety. On the second day drink one beer every hour and a half for a total of ten beers. Then continue to taper down by reducing the amounts by two beers per day until you are down to zero. Tapering is the practice of slowly reducing the regular consumption of a substance like alcohol.
- Our admissions specialists will help you find the facility and treatment program best suited to the recovery needs of you or your loved one.
- But from a harm reduction standpoint, it's much less likely to get you into trouble than alcohol, pills, or harder drugs.
- By looking at your medical history and alcohol intake, your doctor can determine whether you need to taper in a medical detox facility or can safely detox at home.
- The hardest thing will probably be to stop yourself from starting again.
- In most cases, the longer you take to wean off the effects of alcohol, the less severe your withdrawal symptoms should be.
- There is also the matter of the specific type of alcohol in question.