As you prepare to wean off alcohol, consider taking the following steps ahead of time to have a clear path to success. Your friends and family may not be the best support system, unless they’re also recovering addicts/alcoholics. They may have trouble relating to you and you could feel out-of-place talking to them about your problems.
The chance of experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms increases if you’ve had them before, or if you’re older. The rest of this guide addresses pre-planning, withdrawal symptoms, planning, creating a taper schedule, and next steps after a taper. I’d encourage you to read them all, but at the very least please read the sections on withdrawal symptoms and the schedule itself. Tapering off alcohol, rather than stopping all at once, is the most effective way to avoid serious withdrawal symptoms and other problems such as dehydration. There’s no set time frame for tapering off alcohol that works for everyone. Even if your situation seems like someone else’s, your body may respond differently to the tapering process.
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This is why you can experience seizures and heart failure during alcohol withdrawal. Central nervous system depressants are a class of drugs that includes several prescription medications like benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and sedative-hypnotics. Depressants are so-called because they depress activity in the central nervous system. In other words, they slow down chemical communication in the brain and body.
- Tapering off alcohol at home can be safe for some individuals, but it carries risks, and it’s crucial to consult a healthcare provider to assess your suitability for this approach.
- Unlike inpatient treatment, tapering allows people to maintain their lifestyles while improving their drinking habits.
- You will have an imbalance of excitatory and inhibitory chemicals in your nervous system.
If you are already at risk of heart attacks or strokes because of conditions such as obesity or preexisting high blood pressure, monitor your blood pressure carefully. Check how to taper off alcohol out this medical article which provides further detail on withdrawal from alcohol. Find a reason to stay sober and keep that in mind as you go through this process.
How to Taper Off Alcohol at Home
Many insurance companies will help pay for some or all of your treatment costs. Excessive drinking can weaken the immune system, increasing the body’s likelihood of developing an infection. Diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis are more frequent in individuals who chronically drink. BetterHelp offers affordable mental health care via phone, video, or live-chat. Generally, light to moderate drinkers should plan to taper for a week or more. Even if you fail, there are still plenty of treatment options you can turn to.