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Alcohol dependence causes your body to adapt to the presence of alcohol in your body. But alcohol causes some of the most dangerous withdrawal symptoms you can experience, and it can be fatal in some circumstances. But since alcohol addiction can also be dangerous, you may need to get through withdrawal to achieve sobriety and better health. Learn more here about tapering off alcohol and how to wean off it safely. Although it is possible for some to quit drinking without any side effects, fit leads to painful alcohol withdrawal symptoms for most. If you have tried to quit in the past, but the side effects of withdrawal caused you to drink again just to find relief, tapering off alcohol may be more effective.
Medications needed to assist with withdrawal symptoms may be unavailable or difficult to acquire. Good for someone who is less likely to suffer serious withdrawal symptoms . At Ethos Recovery, we know that overcoming alcoholism https://ecosoberhouse.com/ is a life-long journey. Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and support you need to become a thriving recovering alcoholic. It can be difficult to say no to people, especially when they care about you.
Alcohol Recovery On Your Own Vs Professional Help
It can be tempting to just “rip off the Band-Aid” when getting sober, but tapering off alcohol is often much safer—and much less stressful. Rather than quitting drinking abruptly (or “cold turkey”), many professionals recommend gradually reducing your drinking over time. This can give your body the chance to adjust, helping you avoid the worst of withdrawal symptoms.
Kindling of neurons is the proposed cause of withdrawal-related cognitive damage. Kindling from repeated withdrawals leads to accumulating neuroadaptive changes. Kindling may also be the reason for cognitive damage seen in binge drinkers.
Pros of Tapering Down Alcohol Intake
A therapist will work with you to create a personalized plan for cutting back and provide ongoing guidance and accountability. Medication to curb cravings can be a helpful tool for reducing your consumption. DeBellis R, Smith BS, Choi S, Malloy M. Management of delirium tremens. The risk factors for DT were analyzed by Ferguson et al. and further factors are tabulated in Table 4.
- Limit yourself to one drink per hour, for example, or substitute a glass of water, juice, or Gatorade between each alcoholic drink.
- This is why it is essential to determine your method of tapering and your tapering schedule with the supervision of a medical professional experienced in an alcohol addiction recovery treatment.
- For people who depend on opioids, benzodiazepines, or antidepressants, it is typical to slowly reduce someone’s dosage as opposed to immediately cutting them off completely.
- Four patients in FTDR suffered adverse events when compared with five patients in STR during detoxification.
Tapering from alcohol incorrectly can be fatal in some severe situations. However, some groups have stepped in to try to bridge this gap and have published sample tapering schedules to help those trying to stop drinking. If you plan to taper your drinking in order to stop, make sure that you limit cure for alcohol withdrawal symptoms your intake consistently, avoid fluctuations, and adhere to a weekly reduction schedule with a set date to stop. Verywell Mind’s content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Who is likely to have significant alcohol withdrawal symptoms?
This is why when people drink alcohol they will feel calm, relaxed, or sleepy. However, when the GABA receptors are exposed to alcohol over a long period of time they struggle to overcome the effect of the alcohol and to return to normal functioning. This is one reason why drinking alcohol has less and less of a payoff when consumed constantly over a long period of time. One is not nearly so relaxed by alcohol the third day into a bender as one was on the first day. After being exposed to alcohol over a long period of time the GABA receptors stop responding as efficiently to the presence of GABA. When the alcohol is suddenly no longer there, these GABA receptors now respond only very weakly to the presence of GABA.