How to Wean Off Alcohol & Safely Taper Drinking

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. Choosing to taper off alcohol is an admirable decision and a step in the right direction. 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.

Direct tapers are better if you prefer drinks that contain a low percentage of alcohol. Tapering can be an excellent way to prevent harmful withdrawal effects after ceasing alcohol intake. Avoid taking prescription drugs that your doctor hasn’t prescribed to you. If withdrawal is so uncomfortable that you’re turning to drugs for comfort, you should contact your doctor or a rehab center to discuss medically supervised withdrawal.

Alcohol Tapering Schedule

It also works to reduce alcohol cravings; however, it will not produce an unwanted effect if alcohol is consumed. The most uncomfortable detox withdrawal symptoms usually peak around hours after the last drink and start to lessen by hours. Although delirium tremens is unlikely, roughly 30% of those who get it will also develop Aspiration Pneumonia. A medically-assisted withdrawal helps prevent serious complications, keeps track of a patient’s health condition, and relieves any painful effects.

To avoid severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms, you should slowly reduce alcohol consumption. Cautious tapering may take longer than medically supervised detox, but it will help you avoid major health problems. Making a schedule to slowly reduce your alcohol intake is a safe way to taper off the substance. This will ensure that you are not quitting cold turkey which could result in severe and debilitating  withdrawal symptoms or even death. Depending on how much alcohol you’ve been consuming, it can take days or over a week to gradually reduce your dose safely and get off alcohol.

What Does It Mean to Taper or Wean off Alcohol?

However, your body is adaptable, and after a period of regular, heavy drinking, your nervous system will adapt to the presence of alcohol. It can take between two to four days for the symptoms of delirium tremens to fully manifest, and at least another three days for them to run their course. 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. You may receive medication to ease withdrawal symptoms—such as anti-diarrheal medicines or over-the-counter pain relievers. A doctor may prescribe a benzodiazepine as part of the tapering process.

• When you’re drinking less than 10 units a day, you can try to stop drinking altogether.
• Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.
• Benzodiazepines are first-line therapy for moderate to severe symptoms, with carbamazepine and gabapentin as potential adjunctive or alternative therapies.
• If you’re sweating, place a cold towel on your forehead or on the back of your neck.
• Alcohol withdrawal can range from uncomfortable to life-threatening, so anyone considering stopping alcohol should speak with a medical professional to determine which method is best for them.

This is what causes withdrawal symptoms such as headache, fever, nausea, irregular heartbeat and hallucinations. Only people who are tapering down from very large quantities of alcohol such as a liter of vodka per day will need to start drinking in the morning in order to taper. If you are tapering from smaller quantities and feel no withdrawal symptoms until afternoon or evening then you can wait until then to consume your taper beers. Remember that you are not drinking for pleasure–you are drinking medicine–so only drink what is needed.

How Do You Taper Off Alcohol to Reduce Withdrawal Symptoms?

By gradually tapering off alcohol, you can lower your risk for alcohol-related accidents or death. There are multiple health benefits you can experience when you start drinking less alcohol. The exact benefits will depend on how much alcohol you were drinking and on factors such as your genetics, overall health, and how your body responds. But drinking less is always a good choice for your body and health. Research has shown that tapering is essential for a successful race. Some studies indicate that tapering properly can mean a 3 percent improvement in performance; which in running terms means a possible PR!

Make sure they’re aware of the severe withdrawal symptoms that can occur and tell them what to do if you experience them (get a drink and possibly call 911). If you have a seizure, the best thing they can do is stay with you, move any hazardous objects out of the way, prevent you from falling on anything hard, and call 911. They shouldn’t hold you down and there’s no real need to worry about choking on your tongue. Are you tapering because you physically depend on alcohol, or are you tapering because you want an excuse to drink longer?

Obviously quitting cold turkey from a 12-beer-a-day habit is going to be more stressful than tapering off slowly. But that does not mean home detox is effective, appropriate, or safe. Contact emergency health services if you or someone you know experiences more than one symptom of severe alcohol withdrawal. Alcohol withdrawal is potentially fatal, especially for people with an alcohol addiction. Sometimes, they may experience seizures and delirium tremens (DTs). Some find tapering is not a suitable option to stop drinking due to various factors such as social responsibilities or peer pressure.

• You can look into medication assisted treatment, such as getting the anti-craving medication Naltrexone, see if your doctor will give you benzodiazepines to taper with, or go to rehab/detox.
• But Dr. Streem knows that it can be hard to recognize signs of alcohol abuse in ourselves.
• Medicines can be used to reduce nausea, severe anxiety, other flu-like symptoms, and treat seizures.

People attempting to quit may turn to drinking again to prevent withdrawal symptoms. However, it’s still possible to experience withdrawal symptoms. Inpatient treatment may be an expensive option in terms of time and money. Unlike inpatient treatment, how to taper off alcohol tapering allows people to maintain their lifestyles while improving their drinking habits. Alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of mortality in the United States, with approximately 95,000 people dying from alcohol-related causes each year.