However, improper tapering could lead to relapse, overdose, and severe health consequences. It’s a good idea to talk with a medical professional before you begin a taper. They can help you decide if it’s the safest way to start your recovery, and they can help you make a taper plan. When you quit through tapering, you drink a little less each day until you’re able to have no alcohol at all.

Tapering off alcohol is the gentlest approach to discontinuation. Alcohol addiction poses significant risks, and the optimal approach to mitigate these dangers involves abstaining from alcohol altogether. However, abruptly quitting alcohol (cold turkey) can be unsafe. Gradually reducing your alcohol consumption, a process known as tapering, can help prevent severe withdrawal symptoms.

How To Taper Safely off Alcohol

As you prepare to wean off alcohol, consider taking the following steps ahead of time to have a clear path to success. Depending on the organ and whether or not there has been relapse(s), recovery is possible. There is hope that even after years of heavy alcohol use, the liver has the ability to regenerate or regrow. During recovery, the liver may return to its original mass and function. We are ready to support you with our professional, caring team. We are ready to cheer you on as you continue down the road of recovery toward a healthier, happier you.

Get professional treatment and long-term support to prevent relapse. Set up therapy, counseling and support groups, a plan for sober living, and follow-up medical evaluations. There is also the matter of the specific type of alcohol in question. Overstimulation in your nervous system can affect important unconscious functions like your heart rate, blood pressure, and electrical impulses.

How do I taper off with other meds?

For example, if you start to suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms despite an attempt to taper, your symptoms may worsen before you have the chance to seek medical attention. For this reason, even at-home tapers should be done under a doctor’s care. For those at risk for severe withdrawal symptoms, medically-supervised detox is often the safest choice for beginning their sobriety or moderation journey. Others may discover after consulting with a doctor that it’s safe for them to quit alcohol cold turkey if they choose to. However, they may still decide that tapering down feels most achievable for them.

• Here’s a sample drinking detox plan to help guide the process.
• However, it should not cause someone to become stuck on a step, which would defeat the purpose of a taper.
• It can be helpful to make a plan ahead of time for how to handle a relapse.
• They can help reduce cravings, manage stress, and provide overall well-being, making the journey more holistic and individualized.

“Alteration of glutamate/GABA balance dur[…]prospective analysis.” Alcohol and Alcoholism, October 2012. Shivani, Ramesh; Goldsmith, R. Jeffrey; Anthenelli, Robert M. “Alcoholism and Psychiatric Disorders.” Alcohol Research & Health, 2002.

Not finding what you’re

Lastly, engaging in alcohol therapy can also make a major difference in your healing journey. A therapist will work with you to create a personalized plan for cutting back and provide ongoing guidance and accountability. Creating a tapering schedule you can stick with is a crucial part of weaning yourself off alcohol.

The chance of experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms increases if you’ve had them before, or if you’re older. You may need to do a slower taper than someone else who was drinking the same amount as you. Remember, you can always slow your taper, drink more alcohol, or seek medical help if needed. Are you tapering because you physically depend on alcohol, or are you tapering how to taper off alcohol because you want an excuse to drink longer? If you taper when you don’t really need to, you might be subconsciously giving yourself an excuse to continue drinking, which will lead you back to your baseline high drinking levels. Late symptoms begin between two and four days after the last drink, and they usually include changes in heart rate, breathing and blood pressure.

Nutritional support

If you are a frequent drinker determined to reduce or stop your alcohol intake, the safest way to do this at home is through a gradual tapering process. Attempting to quit all at once can lead to severe symptoms that can be difficult to manage safely outside of a detox setting. These symptoms may start a few hours or a few days after your last drink of alcohol. Sometimes, symptoms may be severe enough to require medical treatment at a hospital or rehabilitation facility. But some people choose to manage alcohol withdrawal themselves. Here are suggestions for how to get through alcohol withdrawal at home.