How to Wean Off Alcohol Safely and Effectively

You could post about your experiences anonymously online in r/dryalcoholics, they’re a fairly open and supportive group of people. When I was down and super depressed, talking about my experiences on there helped get me through and made me feel less alone. Don’t quit other lighter substances while you’re detoxing from alcohol. I’m specifically talking about things like weed, cigarettes, and vaping.

Build a Sober Community of Support

The amount of time it takes to detox from alcohol depends on several factors, including whether you’re detoxing at home or with medical supervision. Detoxing at home usually takes longer because you should be cautious to avoid serious complications. You should start by determining how much alcohol you drink per day in terms of standard drinks. Nanci Stockwell of Advanced Recovery Systems discusses the risks of detoxing at home and the benefits of detoxing from alcohol and other drugs in a safe environment.

Alcohol Detox at Home

I don’t recommend tapering yourself at all, and I especially don’t recommend doing it rapidly, but it has been done. Some people have done a rapid taper in which they go from their baseline to zero in a weekend or so. Before you start your detox, ensure you have enough alcohol on hand to last you a few days. Always keep some extra alcohol available in the event you experience severe withdrawal symptoms. The last thing you want is to run out of booze at three in the morning thinking you’re about to have a seizure. Tapering is the process of gradually decreasing your consumption of a substance over time to lessen the withdrawal symptoms if you’re physically dependent.

Triggers: Why and when do you drink?

Are you or your loved one actively struggling with alcohol use? Is alcohol beginning to take up more and more of your time, budget, and life? You may be wondering how to begin the process of ridding yourself or your loved one of alcohol use once and for all. Located in sunny Southern California, Chapters Capistrano provides holistic, evidence-based treatment for substance abuse and addiction. One of Arizona’s leaders in personalized residential addiction treatment, The Hope House boasts 10,000 sq ft facilities as home to just 10 patients at a time. Attempting to stop drinking “cold turkey” is not only dangerous, but could also cause serious implications or be fatal.

Take Days Off Drinking

If you’re lucky enough to have a supportive friend, a roommate, or a family member that lives with you who can assist, that is ideal. 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. 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. However, some groups have stepped in to try to bridge this gap and have published sample tapering schedules to help those trying to stop drinking.

You can plan fun events that don’t center around alcohol, and they can assist in keeping you accountable to your goals. Perhaps you say things you regret when you drink too much, causing issues with loved ones. Or maybe you are just tired of a casual night out leading to a day-long debilitating hangover. If the choices you make when you’ve been drinking make you cringe when you are sober, alcohol use is https://appsychology.com/living-in-a-sober-house/ impacting your life negatively. Learn more about alcohol withdrawal here and, once again, speak to a doctor first.

If you’ve been drinking heavily for a long time and think you might experience withdrawal symptoms, it’s best to talk with a medical professional before you begin a taper. They can help you decide if tapering is the safest option for you. Alcohol Tapering is a method of decreasing alcohol intake slowly and in a manageable manner. Rather than quitting cold turkey, which could lead to severe (maybe even sober house fatal) withdrawal symptoms, tapering is a slower reduction of alcohol over time.

As long as you are trending downward overall, you’re doing well. 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. It includes a logging section you can use to keep track of your daily alcohol intake, along with some withdrawal warnings. These schedules are largely based on my experience of self tapering, what I’ve read on r/dryalcoholics and HAMS Harm Reduction Guide to Tapering.

After about one week of detox, you can transition into inpatient treatment. Our 30-day inpatient program offers the most structured and supportive pathway to ongoing recovery from alcohol addiction. The goal of tapering down is to make a gradual change while causing less stress on your body, both physically and emotionally. Because everyone’s body reacts differently, there’s not a lot of research that proves tapering can decrease the effects of alcohol withdrawal.

Maybe you just need to set more realistic goals for yourself and slow your taper. 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. Your addicted brain may use this as an excuse to increase your dosage. You may feel you’re in control of your addiction, and that it’s okay to have a cheat day and drink a little more. Easier said than done, but if you go down this path, you’ll be right back where you started.

You may be biologically predisposed to abusing it, and if you’re physically addicted, your brain isn’t working right. If you have a history of seizures, or have had seizures while detoxing in the past, do not, under any circumstances, attempt a self taper. But, perhaps most importantly, understand that setbacks happen and that progress takes time or may look different than imagined.

• This pause reduces the urge to binge, important for contexts like college settings, where the pressure to drink can be intense.
• As long as safety precautions are taken, there’s no wrong way to begin a sobriety or moderation journey.
• As long as you are trending downward overall, you’re doing well.
• This can help your body adjust, and it can be easier to manage than quitting cold turkey.

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• Consult with a healthcare provider for a personalized plan that may include exercise as part of your recovery.
• Start a new hobby or plan a project to keep your mind off cravings and triggers.
• People looking to quit drinking may consider either tapering or going cold turkey, meaning they abruptly stop all alcohol consumption without weaning.
• Sober living homes provide a comfortable, safe place for you to focus on your healing.
• Tapering can be an excellent way to prevent harmful withdrawal effects after ceasing alcohol intake.

Caffeine and Nicotine are Drugs, Why Are They Excused in Recovery?

Decode signs of marijuana addiction and explore treatment options for a healthier lifestyle. It is very important that you estimate your BASELINE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION in terms of standard drinks in order for you to be able to set up a taper schedule. Just for reference a 12 ounce regular strength (5%) beer is one standard drink. A standard (750 ml) bottle of wine at 12% alcohol contains 5 standard drinks. There is also an intensive outpatient program (IOP) that includes group therapy, individual counseling, and education about the disease of addiction. Now that you’ve successfully completed the detoxification process, it’s time to build your sobriety toolkit through treatment.

People attempting to quit may turn to drinking again to prevent withdrawal symptoms. However, it’s still possible to experience withdrawal symptoms. 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. By gradually tapering off alcohol, you can lower your risk for alcohol-related accidents or death. While going cold-turkey from alcohol might not work for everyone, for some, a short dry challenge might be a helpful way to disrupt your drinking habits and have a long-term impact.