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. You’ll likely face the urge to drink more than you’ve planned each day, but there are some good tricks to help you delay that next serving and keep yourself honest. There are multiple health benefits you can experience when you start drinking less alcohol.
Tapering with Support: Key Tools for Alcohol Recovery
Our programs are designed to treat alcohol use disorder effectively and with dignity. If you or your loved one is suffering, contact us to learn more about a brighter, sober tomorrow. Make sure your plan to cut back on drinking alcohol has a specific, measurable goal. There are ways you can cut down on your drinking without quitting entirely. We’ve gathered some tips and tricks on the best ways to cut down on drinking alcohol that can help you practice mindful drinking.
Consult a Medical Professional
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, or a substance that reduces arousal and stimulation. Alcohol, or ethanol (the type of alcohol in beverages), is an intoxicating or strong ingredient found in beer, wine, and liquor. Alcohol is produced by the fermentation, or the breakdown, of yeast, sugars, and starches. Explore why caffeine and nicotine are drugs excused in recovery and their impacts on the healing journey.
What to Expect When You Reduce Your Alcohol Consumption
This way, by the time you get to your destination for the evening, they know you won’t be drinking and have managed their own ideas for how the night will go. For example, when it comes to the ever-popular suggestion of first-date drinks, mention that you probably won’t be drinking—but that they should free to—before making set plans. While you don’t need to discuss your drinking habits with everyone, bringing a few friends in on your intention is a good idea, says Treloar Padovano. It’s kind of like exposure therapy for not drinking for longer periods of time. You’ll get better at navigating spaces without an alcoholic beverage in hand and build up the muscle to deal with the anxiety you have about not drinking. Now that you’ve successfully completed the detoxification process, it’s time to build your sobriety toolkit through treatment.
Practice Mindful Drinking
Symptoms of tapering are similar to mild or moderate withdrawal symptoms, which include the following. Establishing new habits and routines, and dealing with the underlying causes of your drinking habits, are essential to lasting recovery. Alcohol also changes your brain chemistry, which can result in higher levels of anxiety and depression for the first several months.
For many people, tapering alone is insufficient to help heal their addiction. 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. Tapering is also a strategy used by people with a substance or alcohol use disorder (AUD). However, improper tapering could lead to relapse, overdose, and severe health consequences. Assessing your relationship with alcohol begins with a thorough examination of your drinking habits.
#4: Identify Your Triggers
If you’ve confirmed it is safe for you to wean off alcohol at home, set goals for yourself and make a plan as to how you will achieve those goals. Also, your insurance should cover addiction treatment services, so look for therapists and/or rehabs in your network to help reduce the costs. Once you know it is medically safe to stop drinking, you should loop in a therapist or addiction specialist. They will be able to help you uncover the underlying causes of your drinking issues and properly diagnose any co-occurring mental health conditions that you may be suffering from. Quitting drinking, “cold turkey,” means you suddenly stop consuming alcohol.
You’ll meet millions of fellow Reframers in our 24/7 Forum chat and daily Zoom check-in meetings. Receive encouragement from people worldwide who know exactly what you’re going through! You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with our licensed Reframe coaches for more personalized guidance. But, perhaps most importantly, understand that setbacks happen and that progress takes time or may look different than imagined.
What Is the Pink Cloud of Recovery?
This strategy allows people to reflect on their cravings and recognize patterns that may lead to excessive consumption. The Recovery Village Atlanta offers comprehensive addiction treatment for drug and alcohol addictions and co-occurring mental health conditions. Quitting cold turkey means suddenly stopping all alcohol consumption. This method can lead to withdrawal symptoms, especially if you’ve been a heavy drinker.
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. If you properly taper your alcohol use, you’re less likely to experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Gradually reducing the amount of alcohol you drink can help give your body the time it needs to adjust to the lack of alcohol. As a result, many report enhanced sleep quality, improved skin appearance, and better digestion after cutting back on alcohol. Mental health benefits include reduced anxiety and clearer cognitive functions, as quitting alcohol often leads to lower blood pressure and a healthier weight.
- Another significant challenge is the psychological dependence on alcohol.
- When someone struggles with an addiction, the primary focus is on the addict.
- On top of this, quitting immediately — or “cold turkey” as many users and professionals call it — can be dangerous.
- People who want to reduce their alcohol consumption often do not realize how much of their social and daily routines alcohol has become.
- The information provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only.
- Reducing alcohol intake can have significant positive effects on mental health.
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. To create an effective taper, you must know how much you drink daily on average. It can be easy to underestimate how much you drink, and being as accurate as possible is important. By Buddy TBuddy T https://yourhealthmagazine.net/article/addiction/sober-houses-rules-that-you-should-follow/ is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.
For this reason, you should not suddenly quit sober house drinking without talking to your doctor. The consequences of quitting alcohol cold turkey can be serious and lead to alcohol withdrawal syndrome, which can be fatal in severe cases. Adjusting the tapering schedule to the individual’s needs is also crucial. If severe withdrawal symptoms are experienced, the plan may need to be modified to ensure safety and comfort. Setting realistic goals and rewarding progress can help maintain motivation throughout the tapering journey. Adjusting an alcohol taper schedule is a critical step in safely managing withdrawal symptoms and ensuring a successful reduction in alcohol consumption.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms range in severity depending on how extensive the misuse behavior was. The alcohol withdrawal symptom delirium tremens (DT) is estimated to kill up to 5% of those attempting to quit suddenly after chronic usage. This is a staggering number considering that many other drugs do not even have the possibility of lethal withdrawals.
Unfortunately, there’s little to no evidence that tapering off reduces the effects of alcohol withdrawal, some of which can be severe or even life-threatening. Quitting with proper medical supervision may be more important than whether you stop gradually or all at once. In these cases, talk to your doctor before cutting back on your drinking. 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 fatal) withdrawal symptoms, tapering is a slower reduction of alcohol over time. Drinking less each day can help you eventually achieve alcohol abstinence or drinking moderation.
Tapering can also be effective for people who are unable to attend an in-person program or detox to help them stop drinking. Weaning off alcohol gives your body chemistry a chance to adjust, reducing the shock to your system. It also lets you start working new habits and routines into your day to replace drinking, starting the transition.