If you answer “yes” to two to three questions, your symptoms align with mild AUD. If you answer “yes” to four to five questions, your symptoms align with moderate AUD. If you answer “yes” to six or more questions, your symptoms align with severe AUD.
- Ideally, this schedule will be determined with the assistance of a doctor or addiction treatment professional.
- You may want to talk with a loved one or therapist about why it happened and what you can do differently next time.
- Serious symptoms caused by delirium tremens include hallucination and seizure.
- Sitting and talking with others who share your struggle can help you feel supported.
Find New Hobbies or Activities to Avoid Triggers
It is sometimes possible to taper your alcohol use at home if your AUD isn’t severe. Although, you’ll need support if you want to successfully and safely taper at home. Talk therapy is an important part of treatment for alcohol use disorder, but Dr. Streem says just about anyone who is making a life change, like quitting drinking, can benefit from therapy.
- But Dr. Streem knows that it can be hard to recognize signs of alcohol abuse in ourselves.
- If you’ve decided to quit drinking, and tapering seems like the right approach, we’ve got you covered.
- If you’re addicted to alcohol, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to recover without some form of addiction treatment.
- Like deep breathing, meditation can help you stay balanced and relaxed during your withdrawal.
Health Categories to Explore
This lessens the severity of withdrawal symptoms, as there is not an abrupt or dramatic change. Tapering will normally create less severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms but will spread them out over a prolonged period. Essentially, tapering provides less intense withdrawal symptoms but over a longer amount of time. Creating a tapering schedule you can stick with is a crucial part of weaning yourself off alcohol. The best schedule varies based on how much you drink each day and your overall health. As mentioned above, we strongly recommend speaking with a doctor to ensure your plan is a safe one, and won’t cause dangerous withdrawal symptoms.
Be aware of your triggers
This is a benefit that isn’t available to all who attempt to taper at home. Medicines can be used to reduce nausea, severe anxiety, other flu-like symptoms, and treat seizures. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Tapering off alcohol is not the most beneficial option for everyone. People who are severely dependent or addicted to alcohol should seek medical support for alcohol detox.
- Tapering off alcohol can be a reasonable strategy for anyone who desires to stop drinking.
- A substitution taper can involve substituting a prescription drug for alcohol.
- In contrast, in-patient care can be more beneficial and less expensive in the long-term.
- Before you decide to go through alcohol withdrawal, write yourself a letter and keep it nearby for quick reference.
Consider professional support
It’s common to have a difficult time when making big changes, but good self-care practices can help you manage overwhelming feelings and take care of your mind and body. Becoming more aware of your alcohol triggers and reasons for drinking can help you plan ways to help manage the urge to drink. Knowing why you drink is essential, says Cyndi Turner, LCSW, LSATP, MAC, a Virginia therapist specializing in addiction treatment and alcohol moderation. To stop drinking alcohol, you first need to understand your relationship with drinking. From there, you may need social support, consistent self-care, and new routines that can help redirect your mind.
People who only drink occasionally probably won’t notice any physical or psychological symptoms. People who have a severe reaction to quitting alcohol should seek emergency treatment. Ask friends or family to check on you throughout the detox process. Aside from providing emotional support, they can also call medical professionals if something goes wrong. Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can be painful and potentially life-threatening, so it’s important to have people you can rely on.
Gradually Taper Your Alcohol Intake
This can cause seizures and delirium tremens, a severe form of withdrawal marked by tremors and hallucinations. If you taper off alcohol slowly or with medical supervision, the brain has time to adapt without causing severe side effects. 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. Quitting abruptly can be dangerous without medical supervision due to potential withdrawal symptoms.
Finding a different, more healthy way to unload stress may go a long way in helping someone succeed in cutting back on their alcohol use. Alcohol withdrawal occurs when neurotransmitters that combat the effects of alcohol on the nervous system suddenly have nothing to counteract them. Essentially, when an individual drinks, the brain amplifies certain activities to counterbalance the depressive effect alcohol has on it. When that numbing sensation disappears entirely, the brain is left dangerously overstimulated. Insomnia, anxiety and paranoia — the opposite effects of alcohol — are the expected results.
This can trigger alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which can be dangerous in some cases. Quitting cold turkey is the preferred method of withdrawal, but only if done under medical supervision, where symptoms can be treated as they occur. When done under medical supervision, tapering off alcohol has few downsides. However, tapering can sometimes how to taper off alcohol at home be unsafe if you attempt to do so on your own without a doctor’s knowledge. For example, if you start to suffer from alcohol withdrawal symptoms despite an attempt to taper, your symptoms may worsen before you have the chance to seek medical attention. For this reason, even at-home tapers should be done under a doctor’s care.
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