If you don’t really like hard seltzer, like me, drink hard seltzer. It has a lot of water and you can find them in the 4.5-5% range. If you don’t like beers, drink beers (find ones with lower alcohol, some have high concentrations). It includes a logging section you can use to keep track of your daily alcohol intake, along with some withdrawal warnings.

Taper Off Alcohol Safely: A Step-by-Step Guide

Remember, you can always slow your taper, drink more alcohol, or seek medical help if needed. The idea is to religiously take this like medicine for the next week or two. The rest of this guide addresses pre-planning, withdrawal symptoms, planning, creating a taper schedule, and the next steps after a taper.

Use a journal or app to log your drinks

This might be a pretty safe way to taper, as long as you’re not decreasing by over 20-30% per step. I’ve heard of some people doing 10% a week and having success that way. Find a reason to stay sober and keep that in mind as you go through this process. From what I understand, most hospitals WILL give you 3-5 days worth of benzos to taper with at home. Most doctors would rather save the beds in their psych wards for people who are actually suicidal and send you home.

FAQ: Weaning Off Alcohol

Tapering off alcohol is a step in the right direction, but there’s more to the story. It’s vital in this process to have professional help, so you can stay safe and as comfortable as possible. You can master the necessary life skills to maintain your sober lifestyle through treatment. Our state-specific resource guides offer a comprehensive overview of drug and alcohol addiction treatment options available in your how to taper off alcohol area.

Through our programs, weekly house gatherings, employment support, money management, family outreach, and a solid foundation based on the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Overall, do whatever you can to make yourself as comfortable as possible. If you’re sweating, place a cold towel on your forehead or on the back of your neck. Prepare a playlist of your favorite songs or movies to pass the time. But, perhaps most importantly, understand that setbacks happen and that progress takes time or may look different than imagined.

You may also consider joining an online support group to help you feel less alone. It might also be worth checking out a 12-step program in your area, like Alcoholics Anonymous or SMART Recovery, to see if it feels like something that might be useful for you. Consider writing them down and keeping notes on hand, so you have a physical reminder to look at when you need it to help motivate you to stay the course.

Strategize for Your Goals

These programs offer more flexibility than residential rehab, while Alcoholics Anonymous still supporting a healthy lifestyle for people in recovery. Sober living homes provide a comfortable, safe place for you to focus on your healing. In order to fully recover, you can start your healing process by safely ridding yourself of alcohol.

Accessible Ways to Stop Drinking Alcohol

The most common research technique among those surveyed is an internet search (61%), followed by asking a doctor or medical professional (55%). If you’re relying on internet searches to find potential treatment centers, make sure to ask these ten questions to find a licensed facility that can meet your needs. Stopping alcohol use is the first step of the recovery journey, but staying sober for longer and longer periods is the goal. Getting professional treatment and long-term support are two of the most valuable strategies for avoiding relapse. However, even the best-designed tapers can put you at risk for alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Tapering at Our Medical Detox Facility in Washington

Instead of drinking 9 drinks a day, for instance, a person can reduce that number to 7 or 8. After a person has acclimated to this new change, they can lower the number yet again. The goal may be a long way off, but eventually they can get it down to 0 drinks. To understand alcohol withdrawal, it is important to recognize that alcohol is a depressant. This does not mean that alcohol makes people feel depressed — though it often does! Rather, alcohol being classified as a depressant merely means that it achieves its effects by inhibiting the functioning of the body’s central nervous system (CNS).

• The time it takes to taper off alcohol varies based on how much a person drinks.
• This form of tapering would likely involve medications to eliminate withdrawal symptoms.
• But, perhaps most importantly, understand that setbacks happen and that progress takes time or may look different than imagined.
• If you were to suddenly stop drinking alcohol, your receptors would become hyperactive because they are no longer being depressed.
• It can mean more time for your other interests, and even new interests.
• By identifying these patterns and triggers, you can develop strategies to manage or avoid them.

Withdrawal and Safety When Tapering Off Alcohol

• For others, simply cutting back the number of drinks can bring on alcohol withdrawal symptoms, making it more difficult to stop.
• Alcohol withdrawal symptoms range in severity depending on how extensive the misuse behavior was.
• Although it is possible to taper your alcohol use alone, professionals highly advise that you seek medical attention.
• People with AUD may be unable to quit drinking alcohol on their own or have attempted to quit before and relapsed.

Just don’t convince yourself that you can be a normal drinker after stressfully forcing yourself to do this a few times. If you’re lucky enough to have a supportive friend, a roommate, or a family member that lives with you who can assist, that is ideal. Tell them what you’re planning on doing, give them a copy of your planned taper schedule, and have them hold all the alcohol to portion out and give to you as needed. Ideally, pick someone who doesn’t also have a problem with alcohol. Pick a drink that goes down easy and has a high concentration of water so you don’t get too dehydrated. I would go with hard seltzers because they have a decent amount of water in them and I don’t really enjoy drinking them, so I drink them more slowly.