Tapering Off Alcohol: Does It Work? Is it Safe?

Take a break from how to taper off alcohol and choose alcohol-free days.Decide not to drink for at least a day or two every week. In your drinking diary, include information about what and how much you drank as well as where you were. It may be useful to note what you were feeling and thinking leading up to and at the time of drinking. Again, a medical professional can help you determine what’s the right fit for you based on your history and symptoms or problems.

• If you’re used to drinking less than 20 beers per day, HAMS recommends reducing your alcohol consumption by two beers per day until you achieve sobriety.
• Local groups like Alcoholics Anonymous can provide you with the moral support and strength you need.
• Programs such asinpatientoroutpatientrehab,medical detox, individual or family therapy and support groups are available.
• Tapering off alcohol, rather than stopping all at once, is the most effective way to avoid serious withdrawal symptoms and other problems such as dehydration.
• But, as many in recovery will tell you, it is only the first chapter in a long process.
• Drink nonalcoholic beverages such as soda, water, or juice after having an alcoholic beverage or in replacement of an alcoholic beverage.
• The information provided on DetoxLocal.com is intended for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical treatment.

In turn, you can suffer from increasingly severe withdrawal symptoms every time you try to stop drinking. Tapering alcohol is beneficial because you can avoid alcohol withdrawal symptoms. This is because when you drink heavily for months or years, your body can start to depend on alcohol to function normally. When you are physically dependent on a substance like alcohol, your body adapts accordingly. An alcohol taper is a way to wean yourself off alcohol and avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Pros and Cons of Tapering Down Alcohol Intake

This process can allow your body to adapt to receiving smaller amounts of alcohol. A direct taper means drinking the regular substance of choice but lowering the amount that’s consumed every day.

The more information gained and the more emotional support provided can make a big difference. Personal health, both physical and mental, as well as someone’s current drinking habits, should also be taken into account before deciding on anything. If you start to feel withdrawal symptoms when cutting back your alcohol intake, reach out to a professional for help.

Pros of Tapering Down Alcohol Intake

Many other factors go into play with these difficult and trying scenarios. Tolerance, dependence, social habits, setting, the biology of the individual and more must all be considered. Here are some tips and strategies for how to taper off alcohol safely. If you are seeking drug and alcohol related addiction rehab for yourself or a loved one, the sponsored hotline is a confidential and convenient solution. The information provided on DetoxLocal.com is intended for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical treatment. All unique content created by the Addiction Group team is sourced from current scientific research and fact-checked by an addiction counseling expert before publication.