The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be more than enough to drive people back to drinking to find relief. If you are concerned about potential alcohol withdrawal symptoms, talk to your doctor. A doctor can evaluate your overall health and alcohol abuse history to help you determine how likely it is that you’ll experience symptoms. Going “cold turkey” means abruptly stopping drinking entirely, leading to uncomfortable withdrawal effects.

Physical Symptoms

Since alcohol depresses central nervous system activity, quitting drinking can cause an imbalance of an excitatory neurotransmitter called glutamate. This excess glutamate triggers alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which can sometimes be dangerous. For people who experience mild alcohol withdrawal symptoms, there are safe ways to detox at home. People who experience tremors, shakes or confusion when they quit drinking should consider medically supervised detox. You should talk to a doctor about the safest way to detox if you experience any withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking.

Tapering off Alcohol: What You Need To Know

It’s very important to seek help if you struggle with alcohol use disorder. It is possible to get treatment and live a healthier life with a better relationship with alcohol. The most severe form of alcohol withdrawal is known as delirium tremens, which develops in about 3 to 5% of people with severe alcohol addiction. Delirium tremens is also more common in people of older age, those with a history of seizures, and people with co-occurring illnesses or disorders. Symptoms of delirium tremens can develop within 48 hours and, in some cases, have fatal consequences without proper treatment.

Challenges of Cutting Down Your Alcohol Intake

• What’s most important is looking at your drinking habits and finding a way to cut back that works for you.
• If you feel more severe symptoms, such as paranoia, increased pulse, or tremors sometimes called alcohol shakes, you should taper more slowly and consider seeking professional help.
• Substitution involves replacing alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic ones.
• It might help to set goals and reward yourself when you reach them.
• For others, simply cutting back the number of drinks can bring on alcohol withdrawal symptoms, making it more difficult to stop.
• However, for many people with alcohol use disorder, tapering off alcohol is a far better experience than quitting abruptly.

Because the body usually works to maintain balance, it will signal the brain to make more neurotransmitter receptors that excite or stimulate the central nervous system. Sitting and talking with others who share your struggle can help you feel supported. Local groups like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) can give you the moral support and strength you need. Relapses happen during rehabilitation, but what’s important is how you move forward from it. You may want to talk with a loved one or therapist about why it happened and what you can do differently next time.

How to Taper Off Alcohol Safely

For this reason, you should not suddenly quit drinking without talking to your doctor. The consequences of quitting alcohol cold turkey can be serious and lead to alcohol withdrawal syndrome, which can be fatal in severe cases. The main downside of cold turkey is how unpleasant and risky it can be.

Detox doesn’t treat addiction, which is a disease characterized by compulsive behaviors, such as chronic alcohol use. In order to change your drinking habits, your first step is to take a close look at your current behaviors and find patterns. Many insurance companies will help pay for some or all of your treatment costs. When you call our team, how to taper off alcohol you will speak to a Recovery Advocate who will answer any questions and perform a pre-assessment to determine your eligibility for treatment. If eligible, we will create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. If The Recovery Village is not the right fit for you or your loved one, we will help refer you to a facility that is.

Alcohol Withdrawal: How to Get Through It

For example, some people choose to write a list of reasons why they want to stop drinking alcohol, and revisit the list to remind themselves after a relapse. You may want to speak with a loved one or therapist about a strategy to prevent relapses from happening. Avoid people who may encourage you to drink alcohol or may not support your decision to stop.

• This is why it’s always best to find some form of long-term support in sobriety.
• Because of the risk of a lower success rate and prolonged alcohol exposure, most healthcare professionals will recommend a professional detox over tapering.
• This is especially true of heavy drinkers who are surrounded by the triggers that encourage drinking and lack the support needed to encourage change.
• Eating nutritious food, exercising, and getting enough sleep can help reduce some withdrawal symptoms, such as mood swings.