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Your body has become used to, and dependent on, certain levels of alcohol. Alcohol depresses your nervous system2, so your body creates more receptors for neurotransmitters, or messengers, to stimulate the nervous system. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.

“I am in my first hours of sobriety. I just took the quiz for withdrawal symptoms and scored 60% moderate to severe. Funny, because my average hangover is usually worse than this.” People can experience a wide range of symptoms—ranging from mild to moderate to severe—that start and stop at different times for each person. If you repeatedly cannot cut back on your drinking or otherwise cannot get lower than a certain point in the taper, this might not be the right method for you. You can look into medication assisted treatment, such as getting the anti-craving medication Naltrexone, see if your doctor will give you benzodiazepines to taper with, or go to rehab/detox. If you think you’re tapering too quickly, it’s okay to slow down.

How Long Does it Take to Taper Off Alcohol?

If the drink of choice is liquor, it is difficult to measure amounts and easy to binge drink. If it is a mixed drink, it can contain sugar or other additives that should not be included in the taper and may worsen the effects of withdrawal symptoms. Once your taper is complete, discard or immediately give away any remaining alcohol in your house and try to avoid high-risk environments such as bars, liquor stores, casinos, etc. The hardest thing will probably be to stop yourself from starting again.

A taper may help you to get off of alcohol; however, medical detox is typically recommended as the best way to stop using alcohol. Developing a proactive plan for tapering alcohol is an important step. The more aware you are of potential risk factors and your needs, the more likely you will succeed. When you drink heavily, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ alcohol is present in your bloodstream constantly. Alcohol suppresses your brain’s normal function, and your body adjusts to this constant presence of alcohol by making your brain more hyperactive. This increased hyperactivity, combined with the suppressing effect of alcohol, helps your brain function more normally.

How do I know if I need to taper off?

If you go through alcohol withdrawal multiple times, a kindling effect can occur. With kindling, the brain becomes increasingly sensitized to stopping alcohol. In turn, you can suffer from increasingly severe withdrawal symptoms every time you try to stop drinking. If you suddenly quit drinking, your brain can start to make more of an excitatory substance called glutamate. This excessive glutamate level can lead to alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which can be dangerous.

This can give your body the chance to adjust, helping you avoid the worst of withdrawal symptoms. You may experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms when you quit drinking alcohol. This can happen whether you’re quitting alcohol cold turkey or tapering. You should always seek medical advice before attempting any kind of alcohol withdrawal. People with moderate to severe alcohol addiction may find an alcohol taper difficult to accomplish. If you have trouble controlling how much you drink or experience significant alcohol cravings, you may need professional help instead of trying to taper your alcohol use at home.

Pros and Cons of Tapering Down Alcohol Intake

The idea of detoxing or tapering is to prevent the more severe withdrawal effects. You may still experience some of the less severe withdrawal symptoms. If you notice any severe withdrawal, you may need to slow your taper, drink alcohol immediately, or seek medical attention. Quitting abruptly can be dangerous without medical supervision due to potential withdrawal symptoms.

• If you abruptly stop consuming alcohol, your brain may not have enough sensitivity to GABA, which can result in hyper-excitability and withdrawal symptoms.
• Finally, finding a therapist or a recovery coach can help you develop new coping mechanisms and move forward in your life.
• Knowing how to safely taper off alcohol can make all the difference in how successful you are in quitting drinking.
• Rather than quitting drinking abruptly (or “cold turkey”), many professionals recommend gradually reducing your drinking (or tapering) over time.

Reach out to one of our Recovery Advocates and begin the healing process. Alcohol tapering is a way to quit drinking while reducing your risk of withdrawal and complications. Making a plan for tapering alcohol is a crucial part of the process to ensure a healthy outcome. At 10 days without alcohol, if you still have any physical withdrawal symptoms, as reported below, they’re possibly due to some other condition than alcohol withdrawal. The problem is that this can drag your taper out for several weeks or even months, depending on how slowly you’ve tapered and how much you’ve been drinking to start.

There are multiple health benefits you can experience when you start drinking less alcohol. The exact benefits will depend on how much alcohol you were drinking and on factors such as your genetics, overall health, and how your body responds. But drinking less is always a good choice for your body and health. In some cases, the psychological symptoms people experience upon stopping may stem from a relapse of their mental-health condition indicating they should speak to their physician right away.

• Attending a residential rehab or outpatient program gives you coping mechanisms and life skills that can help you for years to come after treatment.
• Respect your body’s need to heal and avoid any extreme activity levels beyond what you would normally do.
• As you continue to commit to long-term recovery, support group meetings like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or online support communities might be helpful.
• When people taking an antidepressant stop the drug, doctors often worry that their mental illness might reappear.
• Only people who are tapering down from very large quantities of alcohol such as a liter of vodka per day will need to start drinking in the morning in order to taper.

You may also find it easier to stick to your taper schedule if you avoid certain places and situations. If you’re living with alcohol use disorder, treatment at a medical rehabilitation facility is your best option. tapering off alcohol Through therapy, support groups and medication, you’ll be supported on your path to recovery. Dr. Streem suggests starting with the World Health Organization’s Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).