If you find that you are a person who cannot taper their alcohol consumption consistently, or if you find that you begin to experience withdrawal symptoms by merely cutting back, don’t give up. You don’t have to let the fear of alcohol withdrawal stop you from cutting back or quitting. Ria Health offers access to many of these tools, including prescription medications, recovery coaching, and online support groups—all through a HIPAA-compliant smartphone app. We support both moderation and abstinence as goals and, although we cannot provide medical detox remotely, we can help you design an effective tapering schedule to reduce your drinking. People who try tapering off alcohol won’t have the guided support of medical professionals that they would at inpatient treatment.
Tapering at Our Medical Detox Facility in Washington
Depressants are so-called because they depress activity in the central nervous system. In other words, they slow down chemical communication in the https://ecosoberhouse.com/ brain and body. This is what causes many of the positive and negative effects of drinking, and it causes the effects of prescription depressants.
Does Alcohol Tapering Work?
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that affects your brain. When you quit drinking or wean off alcohol, your body will adjust to the lack of alcohol in your body. Alcohol withdrawal is potentially fatal, especially for people with an alcohol addiction. Sometimes, they may experience seizures and delirium tremens (DTs). People attempting to quit may turn to drinking again to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
- If your body is used to a certain amount of alcohol, you may feel certain effects when you stop.
- Slowly reduce the amount of alcohol you consume each day until you reach sobriety.
- You may want to speak with a loved one or therapist about a strategy to prevent relapses from happening.
- However, quitting cold turkey or tapering is not advisable for people with an AUD.
Tell family members and friends you want to get healthier.
- There are a range of symptoms you can experience when you stop drinking.
- Understanding your habits and your motivations to quit drinking can help you understand the change you’re making in your life and reinforce why it’s important.
- Medical experts now use the term “alcohol use disorder” rather than “alcohol abuse” to address the concern of excessive drinking.
- Tapering alcohol is beneficial because you can avoid alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
- Depressants are so-called because they depress activity in the central nervous system.
Typically, quitting cold turkey from a 12-beer-a-day habit is going to be more stressful than tapering off slowly. In addition, home detox may not be effective, appropriate, or safe. Tapering is meant to reduce the withdrawal symptoms from quitting alcohol, but this isn’t a guarantee. As mentioned above, many people will still experience some level of withdrawal, just to a lesser degree. Contact emergency health services if you or someone you know experiences more than one symptom of severe alcohol withdrawal.
So, if you normally have 6 beers a day, you could be done tapering within one week. It’s always best to consult a physician on the best strategy, especially if you drink heavily. Some people are facing problems how to taper off alcohol at home with their health or personal lives which require them to quit immediately. However, for many people with alcohol use disorder, tapering off alcohol is a far better experience than quitting abruptly.
Tapering Off vs. Cold Turkey
