How to Safely Wean Yourself off Alcohol Dependency

They may cut back for a short period of time, but soon find themselves back to drinking at their usual level. This is especially true of heavy drinkers who are surrounded by the triggers that encourage drinking and lack the support needed to encourage change. Enter “sober-curious,” a trend that’s about bringing a more mindful approach to drinking. It https://ecosoberhouse.com/ encompasses being more intentional about when and how much you drink to improve your health and well-being. Anyone can be sober-curious and make positive changes to their drinking habits, whether that means you stop drinking entirely or just cut back a little. Sahil enjoys taking time and listening to better understand what his patients are experiencing.

Recovery Programs

As mentioned above, we strongly recommend speaking with a doctor to ensure your plan is a safe one, and won’t cause dangerous withdrawal symptoms. The main downside of cold turkey is how unpleasant and risky it can be. If you drink heavily, alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be harsh, dangerous, and even fatal. For this reason, it’s generally best to avoid quitting abruptly, or at bare minimum speak with a doctor first and have someone looking out for you. If you want to cut back your alcohol consumption or stop drinking alcohol altogether, tapering may help.

Insights into the Six Common Roles of Family Members of Addicts

• 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.
• This might mean skipping social events where alcohol is present or finding new ways to cope with stress without turning to alcohol.
• Now that you’ve successfully completed the detoxification process, it’s time to build your sobriety toolkit through treatment.
• Avoid taking prescription drugs that your doctor hasn’t prescribed to you.
• You can start building the foundation for a happy future by going to rehab for alcohol.

Although, you’ll need support if you want to successfully and safely taper at home. People who want to reduce their alcohol consumption often do not realize how much of their social and daily routines alcohol has become. Tapering alcohol may be uncomfortable, and there may be subconscious triggers that stimulate the desire to drink alcohol. 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. However, even the best-designed tapers can put you at risk for alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Can Alcohol Addiction be Safely Tapered Off?

Gradually decreasing alcohol intake through supervised tapering can make quitting safer and ease withdrawal severity. If you drink heavily on a regular basis, it can be dangerous to stop safely taper off alcohol alcohol cold turkey. For this reason, you should not suddenly quit drinking without talking to your doctor.

• The exact symptoms you experience will depend on factors such as how much alcohol you’re consuming, other medical conditions you have, medications you take, and your body’s response to the taper.
• People with a greater dependency on alcohol may need to stretch out the process to gradually reduce their alcohol intake.
• A direct taper means you continue to drink your regular drinks but slowly decrease the amount over time.
• When attempting to understand how to wean yourself off alcohol safely, it’s essential to first comprehend the concept of alcohol withdrawal.

Acupuncture and Recovery

Alcohol proof is the amount of alcohol found in distilled spirits or liquor. Smaller drinks with a higher percentage of alcohol are stronger than the same size drink containing a lower-proof liquor. Find an accountability partner or someone you can call to keep you on track when you want to drink. Build a network of people you can go to when you need help, join a support group or see a therapist.

Life-Threatening Withdrawal Signs

However, weaning off alcohol isn’t always necessary for people who want to cut back or stop drinking. The most significant factor is whether or not you’ve become chemically dependent. Guidance for tapering off alcohol can vary, and there’s limited specific advice available. However, some sample tapering schedules suggest reducing alcohol intake by two drinks each day until reaching zero drinks for individuals who drink fewer than 20 standard drinks a day. For those who Sober living house drink more than 20 drinks a day, the tapering schedule becomes more complex.