It provides the necessary medical expertise and support to ensure a safe and comfortable detoxification process. This is a highly personal decision, which can be made through self-reflection, and with the support of a medical professional and your peers. 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. Or, you may find that quitting all at once is too drastic and decide to start by practicing harm reduction. Ideally, your support network will include mental health, medical, and addiction treatment professionals, as well as friends and family. Also, your insurance should cover addiction treatment services, so look for therapists and/or rehabs in your network to help reduce the costs.

Essential Recovery Gifts to Aid Sobriety

On the second day drink one beer every hour and a half for a total of ten beers. Then continue to taper down by reducing the amounts by two beers per day until you are down to zero. After successfully completing detox, there are additional treatment options at Serenity Lane. There is a residential inpatient treatment program with medical supervision. During rehab, you will have the opportunity to participate in group therapy. Some people withdrawing from alcohol could be at risk for delirium tremens (DTs).

It is also important to note that the degree of symptoms will depend on how much alcohol you have been using, the frequency of use, and how long you have been drinking. If your drinking is minimal, you may experience mild withdrawal. If you are an average to moderate drinker – a couple drinks a night, several nights a week – then you may experience moderate withdrawal. On the other hand, if you engage in excessive alcohol use, you could experience severe alcohol withdrawal.

To assess your relationship with alcohol, start by examining whether your drinking habits are impacting your social, psychological, and physical life. Keeping an alcohol use journal can help track your patterns, triggers, and emotions related to drinking, offering valuable insight. Be mindful of withdrawal symptoms like shakiness, restlessness, and nausea, which may indicate alcohol dependence and require professional help.

Is it Safe to Taper off Alcohol at Home?

By the end of Week 3, you will have substantially reduced your alcohol intake, and you’ll have experienced how your body feels without alcohol for a short period. As you navigate this question, it can be helpful to think about how you typically prefer to approach change. Metaphorically speaking, do you like to dip your toe in first, or cannonball right in? As long as safety precautions are taken, there’s no wrong way to begin a sobriety or moderation journey. This journey is often non-linear, and your goals can change over time.

Decreased Risk of AUD

• Understanding personal drinking habits can be pivotal in the journey to cut back.
• Seeking professional guidance is advisable to ensure a safe and effective tapering process.
• You’ll meet millions of fellow Reframers in our 24/7 Forum chat and daily Zoom check-in meetings.
• Tapering can also be effective for people who are unable to attend an in-person program or detox to help them stop drinking.
• If you drink heavily, your doctor may recommend quitting with the help of a medical detox center.
• Did you know most insurance companies will cover the cost of drug and alcohol detox?

They will be able to help you uncover the underlying causes of your drinking issues and properly diagnose any co-occurring mental health conditions that you may be suffering from. Alcoholism, more correctly known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), impacts more than 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 12. Luckily, there are ways to safely reduce your alcohol consumption and get your life back on track. 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. Although it is possible to taper your alcohol use alone, professionals highly advise that you seek medical attention.

How To Cut Back on Drinking Alcohol: 7 Steps Toward Mindful Drinking

But from a harm reduction standpoint, it’s much less likely to get you into trouble than alcohol, pills, or harder drugs. Sleeping too much can become an unhealthy coping mechanism, but during your detox, it’s okay to sleep as much as possible. You can also take break days, where you drink the same amount as the previous day to sort of level yourself off. For example, if you notice your tremors are getting pretty bad three days in, drink the same amount you drank on the third day for the following day. Try not to do this for too many days, though, or you may get stuck at that point.

From what I understand, most hospitals WILL give you 3-5 days worth of benzos to taper with at home. Most Sober House Rules: What You Should Know Before Moving In doctors would rather save the beds in their psych wards for people who are actually suicidal and send you home. My first recommendation is to seek professional help at an inpatient rehab facility, a dedicated detox center, or, in severe cases, the emergency room.

Take Days Off Drinking

• During this taper, you may notice you’re feeling pretty good again.
• 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.
• Some individuals experience a neurological condition known as the “kindling effect” as a result of repeated alcohol withdrawal.
• There can be medical risks to reducing or stopping alcohol use.

Most people experience the most severe symptoms from about 36–72 hours after stopping drinking. There are a range of symptoms you can experience when you stop drinking. Tapering can help minimize these symptoms, but you might still experience some of them https://northiowatoday.com/2025/01/27/sober-house-rules-what-you-should-know-before-moving-in/ while your body adjusts to the lack of alcohol.

This practice fosters self-awareness and accountability, helping to identify triggers and times when cravings are strongest. Creating a plan for alcohol consumption enhances awareness about personal habits. Keeping a diary of drinking can help track patterns and identify triggers, allowing individuals to adjust their behaviors accordingly. Incorporating alcohol-free days into the week not only fosters self-reflection, it also provides clarity about the dependency on alcohol.

You’ll also have the opportunity to connect with our licensed Reframe coaches for more personalized guidance. You can ask questions about our program, the admissions process, and more. Weaning off alcohol is a hard process, but it is something that you should be immensely proud of. That’s why it’s important to remember that relapse is not failure. Make sure your support network knows about your goals and is committed to helping you achieve them. Support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and SMART Recovery should also be a component.

This phenomenon is often described as “alcohol dependence.” The most common more mild withdrawal symptoms include headaches, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. While it is possible for some to wean off alcohol at home, it is highly inadvisable to do so without first consulting with medical and addiction treatment professionals. Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal, especially when someone attempts to go through it unsupervised. Weaning off alcohol can not only dramatically improve the quality of your life, but it can also actually save it.

Online Therapy Can Help

The most common research technique among those surveyed is an internet search (61%), followed by asking a doctor or medical professional (55%). If you’re relying on internet searches to find potential treatment centers, make sure to ask these ten questions to find a licensed facility that can meet your needs. 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. Tapering alcohol may be uncomfortable, and there may be subconscious triggers that stimulate the desire to drink alcohol.