Primary care how to taper off alcohol physicians should offer to initiate appropriate medications. Symptoms outside of the anticipated withdrawal period or resumption of alcohol use also warrants referral to an addiction specialist or inpatient treatment program. Tell your family and friends that you’re aiming to stop drinking alcohol and explain why. This way, you can share your successes with them, and they’ll understand why you’ve started turning down drinks or trips to the pub. Discover if trazodone can be addictive, its impact on mental health, withdrawal symptoms, and more.
Pros and Cons of Tapering Off Alcohol Intake
Your liver has enzymes that work like special tools to help metabolize (break down) different toxins that enter your body, such as alcohol. Arming yourself with strategies and tips can help you or a loved one take small steps towards big results. An easy way to keep track of how you’re doing and keep your motivation up is to give yourself short-term goals.
Recognizing Patients at Risk for AUD
If you feel comfortable doing so, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ discuss your challenges with your primary healthcare professional. Finding a therapist can also be a great starting point if you’re uncomfortable opening up to your healthcare professional. All the same, “a quick drink” often turns into three or four drinks.
Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome Medication
Cold turkey is a common slang term for quitting alcohol (or any substance) all at once. Tapering or weaning means ramping down your alcohol use until you get to zero—or to a more moderate level of drinking that you prefer. Some people are facing problems 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. Slowly tapering your alcohol use can help you manage mild withdrawal symptoms and decrease the risk of AUD. However, you may experience withdrawal symptoms or relapse if you’re not tapering correctly and safely.
- This is a staggering number considering that many other drugs do not even have the possibility of lethal withdrawals.
- Call or text a friend and have your goals handy to remind yourself why you’ve dropped drinking.
- Research shows that most people believe that drinking can make them feel better.
- 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.
- Risky withdrawal symptoms are not limited to the above.3 Learn more about alcohol withdrawal here and, once again, speak to a doctor first.
If you’re simply looking to speak to someone on the phone or chat online for more advice on your own or someone else’s drinking, get in touch with Drinkchat or Drinkline. Discover what is sober living, its benefits, rules, and the support you can expect on the path to recovery. Discover what are psychotic breaks, their impact, causes, and treatment options for recovery. Discover the reasons people may become codependent and learn effective strategies for recovery.
- Family and friends can provide encouragement and support when you stop drinking.
- If that’s not possible, admit your desire to drink and don’t judge yourself for it.
- It’s possible to develop a better relationship with alcohol and make more mindful, informed choices about drinking without total sobriety.
- Medical professionals can provide the necessary support and supervision throughout the process, especially if severe withdrawal symptoms arise.
- Switching to beer from hard liquor is safer because it is easier to control the amount of beer that is consumed and is harder to binge drink.
- Just like a broken bone or infection needs time to heal, so does an overworked liver.
If you’re struggling to wean off alcohol, it might be best to seek addiction treatment. Various treatment programs are available to help you recover from addiction. One of the most prominent medical developments in recent years has been the emergence of a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs). The best known of these drugs is Ozempic, a medication for diabetes often prescribed for its off-label use as a weight loss aid.
This highlights the critical need for medical supervision and treatment programs during alcohol withdrawal to ensure the individual’s safety and well-being. Although most people recover fully from alcohol withdrawal, it is essential to be aware of the potential risks and complications that may arise. Individuals who continue heavy drinking are at a higher risk of developing health issues such as liver, heart, and nervous system diseases. Alcohol withdrawal (alcohol withdrawal syndrome) is a range of symptoms that can happen if you stop or significantly reduce alcohol intake after long-term use. If you’re living with alcohol use disorder, treatment at a medical rehabilitation facility is your best option.
Insurance May Cover The Cost of Alcohol Detox
Tolerance, dependence, social habits, setting, the biology of the individual and more must all be considered. One of the keys to a successful taper is taking gradual steps that will cause as few side effects as possible. There are several ways to taper your alcohol consumption without therapy. It’s also unclear how transitioning off GLP-1 RAs would affect people using them to treat SUDs. In the longer term you may also be helping to reduce your risk of developing alcohol-related cancer, alcohol-related liver disease or alcohol-related heart disease or stroke and lower your blood pressure. By cutting alcohol out of your life completely, you may notice a number of improvements to the way you look and feel.
Every person has unique needs, and tapering off may not be an adequate solution to reduce or stop drinking. These interventions can also help individuals navigate the challenges and triggers that may arise during the recovery process. Recovering from alcohol addiction is a journey that extends beyond the initial withdrawal phase.
In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues. Research shows that most people believe that drinking can make them feel better. However, when alcohol makes up part of your typical routine, drinking can become something of an automatic response, especially when you feel stressed or overwhelmed. Turner notes the importance of bringing along a trusted support person when attending events that involve alcohol. It’s often easier to turn down a drink when you don’t have to do it alone.