Remember, doctors are (usually) intelligent people who spent over a decade studying medicine to help people. Everything you say is confidential and you’re paying them to HELP you. It includes a logging section you can use to keep track of your daily alcohol intake, along with some withdrawal how to taper off alcohol warnings. These schedules are largely based on my experience of self tapering, what I’ve read on r/dryalcoholics and HAMS Harm Reduction Guide to Tapering. You can use an app like AlcoTrack (Android) or DrinkControl (Apple) to keep a log of your daily drinking and see your progression.

If you find it is difficult to prevent yourself from drinking too much and getting drunk, locking your alcohol up in a cabinet and giving your friend or family member the key can help. Although with this method, it is important that the friend or family member is accessible when symptoms of withdrawals such as tremors return. Also, learn to cope with and avoid situations that might cause you to want to drink more. 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. The alcohol content in specific beer, wine and liquor products differs.

Setting Up A Taper Schedule

The last thing you want is to run out of booze at three in the morning thinking you’re about to have a seizure. Alcoholism, or alcohol use disorder, is a mental health issue. You’ve been conditioning your brain to work on alcohol, and over time, its structure has physically changed[2]. Overcoming this with sheer willpower is going to be difficult, but it can be done. In particular, it alters neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. When you drink a lot over a long period, your brain reduces sensitivity to GABA.

Another significant factor in how long a taper lasts is alcohol withdrawal symptoms. After all, the point of a taper is to minimize alcohol withdrawal symptoms. If you begin to have withdrawal symptoms during your taper, this is a sign that your taper may be going too fast, and you need to slow it down. Cutting down your alcohol intake may not be as easy as it sounds. People who want to reduce their alcohol consumption often do not realize how much of their social and daily routines alcohol has become.

Alcohol Taper Schedule

This is especially true of heavy drinkers who are surrounded by the triggers that encourage drinking and lack the support needed to encourage change. If you plan to taper your drinking in order to stop, make sure that you limit your intake consistently, avoid fluctuations, and adhere to a weekly reduction schedule with a set date to stop. This can sometimes cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, and these symptoms can make it hard to stick with your recovery plan. Tapering off alcohol can be challenging, and withdrawal symptoms are common. However, various strategies can help you cope with these symptoms and make the journey toward sobriety more manageable. Substitution involves replacing alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic ones.

• If it’s safe for you to quit cold turkey, you may find that cutting alcohol out entirely from the start helps you clearly uphold your boundaries.
• Cold turkey is a common slang term for quitting alcohol (or any substance) all at once.
• Give your loved ones as much information as you can about your self-tapering strategy.
• If you drink heavily, alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be harsh, dangerous, and even fatal.
• This is why it’s always best to find some form of long-term support in sobriety.

Don’t just give up and drink a fifth because you had your 6 drinks before noon when you meant to have 6 drinks over the whole day. If you must get drunk during your taper, do yourself a favor and just get buzzed, not completely trashed. 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. Note that in some states, doctors may commit individuals at risk of harming themselves to 72 hours of involuntary treatment for addiction.

Get a Safe & Effective Medical Detox at Gratitude Lodge

If you’re making mixed drinks, only use half a shot instead of a full shot, and turn it into two drinks (still count both as one combined). It’s okay to have a little drink, set it down, leave it for fifteen minutes, and come back to it later. Just don’t convince yourself that you can be a normal drinker after stressfully forcing yourself to do this a few times. If you don’t really like hard seltzer, like me, drink hard seltzer.

Quitting cold turkey can shock your system since it has become used to functioning with alcohol. Some alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be so severe that they can lead to death. Contact a medical professional immediately if you notice any withdrawal symptoms. The amount of alcohol it takes to cause withdrawal symptoms can vary from person to person. For this reason, you should always talk to your doctor before attempting to quit drinking. If your body is used to a certain amount of alcohol, you may feel certain effects when you stop.

Why Do You Experience Withdrawal Symptoms?

Then continue to taper down by reducing the amounts by two beers per day until you are down to zero. It is also very important when tapering off to fight dehydration and to replenish lost vitamins. If you go through a medical detox the people they may rehydrate you with an IV and may also give you vitamin shots. If you are doing a self detox be sure to drink lots and lots of fluids and to take vitamin pills.

Long-term alcohol use can lead to alcohol use disorder (AUD) and physical dependence. If your body becomes physically dependent on alcohol, you may experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking. Studies have shown that 13–71% of people undergoing alcohol detox develop withdrawal symptoms.

But deciding to cut back on drinking is much more important than the length of your alcohol taper. A medical professional can help you determine if a fast or slow taper, or quitting altogether, is appropriate based on a thorough medical assessment and evaluation of your withdrawal risk. Talk to a doctor to see if it’s safe for you to taper from alcohol or drugs on your own. For many types of addiction, you need supervision from medical and addiction professionals to taper and stay clean.