How To Taper Off Alcohol Risks of Quitting Alcohol Cold Turkey

For example, if you typically have 10 drinks per day, you could cut back to 8 the first day, then 6, 4, 2, and finally none. If you have 20 or more drinks per day, they suggest one drink per hour the first day, every hour and a half the next, then reducing by 2 drinks per day after that. If you’ve decided to taper off alcohol, you’ll need to be prepared with some strategies to make the process easier.

What To Do After You Finish Tapering Off

Getting professional help can mitigate harmful withdrawal symptoms and ensure success. Dr. Streem suggests starting with the World Health Organization’s Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). It can be a particularly helpful way to help you get a clearer understanding of your drinking habits and your relationship with alcohol. It’s a 10-question screening test that gives you research-backed, personalized advice for quitting or reducing your intake of alcohol. After prolonged alcohol use, your body can come to rely on alcohol for normal functioning, and suddenly going without it can cause potentially dangerous withdrawal symptoms.

• Finally, just because you’ve gotten past the withdrawal phase doesn’t mean you won’t continue to face psychological aspects of addiction—including alcohol cravings and drinking triggers.
• Tapering off alcohol can be a reasonable strategy for anyone who desires to stop drinking.
• This is why it is important to stop regular, heavy drinking only under the supervision of medical staff.
• The alcohol withdrawal symptom delirium tremens (DT) is estimated to kill up to 5% of those attempting to quit suddenly after chronic usage.
• Following your provider’s tapering recommendations makes withdrawing from alcohol safer.
• Discover effective ways to prevent relapse with practical strategies that support lasting recovery and resilience.

Phone, Video, or Live-Chat Support

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms typically commence within 8 hours following the last drink, but they can also manifest days later. These symptoms should i taper off alcohol generally peak between 24 to 72 hours but can persist for weeks 1. Some alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be so severe that they can lead to death. Contact a medical professional immediately if you notice any withdrawal symptoms.

Strategies for Safe Tapering

Quitting alcohol can be extremely hard, especially without medical support. Further, mental health disorders like anxiety and depression are extremely common in those who struggle with drinking, and these disorders can make it even harder to stay sober. Gradually reducing alcohol consumption can be achieved through a substitution taper.

If you’re struggling to wean off alcohol, it might be best to seek addiction treatment. Various treatment programs are available to help you recover from addiction. Tapering is also a strategy used by people with a substance or alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Medical Supervision

Tapering your alcohol consumption can also help you schedule your entry into a recovery program. This can be a real obstacle when you’re ready to get help to quit drinking (or cut back). With a slow taper, you can plan ahead by getting your consumption to a safer level by the date you will be starting care.

Begin your journey to recovery.

It also provides an overview of the alcohol withdrawal timeline process and when to discuss your drinking with your healthcare provider. Many patients don’t realize the toxicity of prolonged alcohol abuse and how it affects the body. Alcohol detox at the luxurious rehab addiction centers at Gratitude Lodge leeches your body of these toxins in preparation for successful treatment for drugs and alcohol abuse.