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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. People looking to quit drinking may consider either tapering or going cold turkey, meaning they weaning off alcohol abruptly stop all alcohol consumption without weaning. The first step in developing a tapering plan is to honestly assess your current alcohol consumption levels. This will help you establish a baseline from which to start reducing your intake. It’s important to be realistic about your drinking habits and not underestimate the amount of alcohol you consume.
Why Does Alcohol Withdrawal Occur?
As with many self-detox methods, the risks and rewards go hand in hand when attempting to overcome an alcohol substance use disorder. But, with a little prior knowledge on how to taper off alcohol, adequate planning and professional consultation from a healthcare provider, it can certainly be done. If you’re unable to reduce how much you drink, you may have a disease called alcoholism that requires professional addiction treatment.
- It includes a logging section you can use to keep track of your daily alcohol intake, along with some withdrawal warnings.
- I’ve also heard of people successfully stopping by reducing their moderate drinking (8-10 a day) to 5-6 a day for a couple days, and then quitting entirely.
- People who experience tremors, shakes or confusion when they quit drinking should consider medically supervised detox.
- Our state-specific resource guides offer a comprehensive overview of drug and alcohol addiction treatment options available in your area.
Understanding Powerball’s Gambling Addiction Effects
Jeff’s work has been used in rehabs across the country as tools to help patients achieve sobriety. Identify specific situations, emotions, environments, and people that motivate your drinking. Examples of triggers could include stress, social gatherings with alcohol, certain friends, and bars. Some individuals find church and reconnecting with God to be helpful.
How to Wean off Alcohol Safely
Your brain will still be hyperactive and take about a week to 10 days to readjust. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are related to the hyperactivity of your brain and will continue until your brain fully adjusts to the absence of alcohol. We are dedicated to transforming the despair of addiction into a purposeful life of confidence, self-respect and happiness. We want to give recovering addicts the tools to return to the outside world completely substance-free and successful.
Can Tapering Help You Quit Alcohol?
- This is not a process that is going to happen overnight, and it’s important to remember that challenges and setbacks are simply part of the learning curve.
- If you’re going to be spending time with family or friends you know well, you might decide to be upfront with them about what you’re doing.
- Unfortunately, alcohol tapering has not been extensively studied.
- We can leverage our resources and team to help you reduce and eventually end your alcohol use.
- I’ll be honest, your chances of staying sober on your own are slim to none.
Gradually decreasing alcohol intake through supervised tapering can make quitting safer and ease withdrawal severity. Patients who experience more severe alcohol withdrawal should receive pharmacotherapy to treat their symptoms and reduce their risk of seizures and delirium tremens. The medications with the best efficacy and safety are the benzodiazepines, which enhance the effect of the neurotransmitter GABA on the brain. Benzodiazepines can be administered in both fixed-schedule and symptom-triggered approaches depending on the patient’s severity of symptoms and risk factors.
Creating a supportive environment that eliminates exposure to triggers can facilitate the weaning-off process. This may involve avoiding certain social settings, altering routines, or seeking alternative activities that do not involve alcohol. If you’ve decided to quit drinking, and tapering marijuana addiction seems like the right approach, we’ve got you covered.
MAT vs. Traditional Addiction Therapy
You can master the necessary life skills to maintain your sober lifestyle through treatment. A luxury center treating addiction and co-occurring mental health with evidence-based therapies, a continuum of care in bespoke facilities, and private bedrooms. But if you’re living with alcohol use disorder, drinking is more than a habit. People with alcohol use disorder can’t https://ecosoberhouse.com/ stop drinking even when it causes problems, like emotional distress or physical harm to themselves or others.