Delamere describes the different stages that you go through while detoxing from alcohol6. If you decide to get treatment, your doctor can recommend the type of care that you need. Alcohol has what doctors call a depressive effect on your system. It slows down brain function and changes the way your nerves send messages back and forth.
- Framing sobriety as a temporary challenge versus a permanent lifestyle change can make it easier to stay sober for the long haul.
- Our program offers access to expert medical advice, prescription medications, recovery coaches, online support groups, and digital tracking tools, all through your smartphone.
- Alcohol impacts our sleep, relationships, weight, risk for serious chronic conditions and more.
- It’s normal for the readjustment period to take time, and for people to encounter speed bumps along the way.
- All of these and more are good reasons to consider moderating, or cutting back on your drinking.
- Do not stop drinking entirely if you have previously experienced seizures (fits) or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there) when you stop drinking.
It’s a 10-question screening test that gives you research-backed, personalized advice for quitting or reducing your intake of alcohol. Although you can use methods to taper off alcohol at home, the best way to taper is to talk to a doctor. They can monitor your intake and adjust it accordingly to reduce the risk of withdrawal symptoms.
Can Tapering Help You Quit Alcohol?
Prepare yourself for those times when someone is going to offer you a drink. You might also hold onto a nonalcoholic drink instead, ask a friend to support you in difficult situations or simply exit early if temptation gets too strong, the NIAAA suggests. You don’t have to leave the house to get support from other people who understand and respect what you’re trying to do. If you drink to ease the pain of loneliness, then make a conscious effort to connect with others. Alcoholics Anonymous cautions its members not to get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired—all of which can make you more vulnerable to the urge to drink.
If the connection that you find in AA groups is something you value, you’ll need to combine TSM with one of the above groups, or an online community. For some drinkers, cutting down on the amount of alcohol they drink simply does not work. They may cut back for a short period of time, but they soon find themselves back to drinking at their usual level.
How Long Does It Take to Taper off Alcohol?
It’s vital to speak with a medical professional before you begin weaning off alcohol to ensure you have a plan to do so safely. You may experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms when you quit drinking alcohol. This can happen whether you’re quitting alcohol cold turkey or tapering. 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.
How to Help Someone Stop Drinking
Nestled in the private hills of Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills Recovery is a boutique substance use treatment center offering holistic care. As such, there is only limited guidance available about the best ways to taper. With all of the above established, what can you actually do to help https://rehabliving.net/ a loved one who is struggling with alcohol use disorder? The answer is complicated, and depends on that person’s individual relationship to alcohol. Dry January (as well as its cousins Dry July and Sober October) has become a popular way for people to experiment with drinking less.
However, they may still decide that tapering down feels most achievable for them. If you’re not sure if cold turkey or tapering is right for you, you can join the Monument Community to hear from others who have confronted similar questions. For people who experience mild alcohol withdrawal symptoms, there are safe ways to detox at home. People who experience tremors, shakes or confusion when they quit drinking should consider medically supervised detox.
How To Stop Drinking Without Rehab
Essentially, when an individual drinks, the brain amplifies certain activities to counterbalance the depressive effect alcohol has on it. When that numbing sensation disappears entirely, the brain is left dangerously overstimulated. Insomnia, anxiety and paranoia how to flush alcohol out of your system — the opposite effects of alcohol — are the expected results. Thus, a user will likely seek out alcohol again to rid themselves of the uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. “Cold turkey” refers to quitting alcohol, or any addictive substance, abruptly.
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. Most people recover from alcohol withdrawal within a week, but people with severe dependency may experience withdrawal for multiple weeks.
