Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
In this article
Medically Reviewed by Dr P. E. Pancoast, MD
Tapering off alcohol is a good way to reduce alcohol consumption without experiencing as much difficulty transitioning to being alcohol-free.
However, heavy drinkers face a variety of health risks if they taper off alcohol or stop using alcohol once they’ve developed an addiction. This is particularly true for people who are both physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol.
If you want to stop drinking (or drastically reduce alcohol intake), and you’re a moderate to heavy drinker, a slow reduction is best. If you experience symptoms of withdrawal as you taper off, you should seek medical attention.
If your body has no issue adjusting to a gradual decrease in alcohol consumption, tapering off makes it easier to break the habit of drinking.
When you taper off, you reduce alcohol consumption slowly. Exactly how this works varies based on your current drinking habits.
For example, maybe enjoy happy hour after work a few times a week. Reducing your attendance by one or more visits the first few weeks and then increasing your absences in the weeks following is tapering off.
If you drink three drinks every day, drinking two drinks a day for a week and then one drink a day for a week is tapering off. The specific process of tapering off is based on how much you currently drink and how much you’d like to drink.
It’s important to wean off or taper alcohol use safely. In most cases, it is not safe to do so at home. People with a physical dependence on alcohol may need medical supervision and care to prevent serious complications associated with alcohol withdrawal.
Light to moderate drinkers who want to reduce their alcohol consumption can use weaning to ease the burden of breaking social and other habits associated with drinking alcohol. Heavy drinkers, on the other hand, must have medical supervision to ensure safe detox from alcohol.
If it’s safe and you choose to taper alcohol use at home, the following steps help you make a gradual transition:
If you don’t drink every day, reduce the number of drinks you consume on days you drink by one OR reduce the number of days you drink per week by one.
Anyone can do this, but it’s especially helpful for everyday drinkers.
Instead of immediately beginning your next drink, set a timer for a specific period, and do not begin your next drink until this time.
Some people drink water in between drinks, which makes the process even easier. It rehydrates you and gives you something to do, so you aren’t just waiting for your next drink.
Successful tapering requires you to avoid fluctuations and adhere to whatever reduction method you choose. This lets you track your progress and recognize any negative reactions that might occur.
This way, someone is there to hold you accountable. Loved ones also play a huge role in helping an alcoholic through all stages of recovery and help them answer the question, "Am I an Alcoholic?"
Tapering works, but it isn’t right for everyone. Alcohol withdrawal is potentially dangerous after abusing alcohol. It can be a fatal process for heavy drinkers. Heavy drinkers, or those with alcohol dependence, who take the risk of tapering off and foregoing professional medical treatment must move slowly to reduce their risk.
Weaning off alcohol can take weeks or months to do safely and avoid severe withdrawal symptoms.
The best way to stop drinking, especially for those who are heavy drinkers, is to seek an evaluation at an appropriate treatment center. There, you can undergo either inpatient or outpatient treatment and ensure critical medical supervision. This helps safely manage life-threatening alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Alcohol withdrawal is potentially fatal. Your body will seek homeostasis when you take something from it that it is used to receiving. Sudden alcohol withdrawal is even more serious when you:
For those who are light to moderate drinkers who want to taper off, the best way to do so is to avoid going “cold turkey.” For other people, breaking a habit is easier when done gradually.
Despite the risks associated with suddenly denying your body alcohol, there are many benefits, which may not surface until several weeks or months after cessation.
They include:
The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include:
These symptoms vary from person to person and their severity is based on how long and how much a person drinks.
Delirium tremens (DTs) occur when a heavy drinker stops drinking. It’s one of the most severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. The condition occurs within 48 to 72 hours after your last drink. DTs are rare and happen only about 5 percent of the time during alcohol withdrawal.
Symptoms of DTs include:
Reducing alcohol use is difficult for many people. Any time you change a habit, even if there is no physical addiction, the process comes with challenges. Some of these challenges include:
The length of time it takes to taper off alcohol use varies based on how heavily a person was drinking before beginning the tapering process.
Light to moderate drinkers should plan a tapering process of a week or more depending on their current drinking behavior.
Heavier drinkers can taper off faster with medical supervision, but the process still takes weeks or more. The initial detoxification process may take several days.
Quitting cold turkey is not suggested. People who are addicted to alcohol and then suddenly stop alcohol consumption face serious risks of withdrawal. There is also a greater risk of relapse when consumption stops suddenly.
Additionally, there is a higher risk of overdose because of reduced tolerance. Over time, your body builds tolerance to alcohol, and more is required to achieve the same effect. When you stop drinking, this tolerance wanes. If they start drinking again, they may become dangerously incapacitated.
If you return to drinking the same amount after a period of detox, your risk of consuming too much is high.
Preventing relapse after tapering off alcohol use is challenging. It helps to:
There are several options for people who want to undergo medical detox for alcohol. For example:
Following detox, both inpatient and outpatient treatment programs are available. Some people also utilize individual and family counseling and 12-step programs.
How to Choose a Program
Choosing a program is challenging, but it’s an important process to ensure you receive the treatment and support needed for a successful recovery. It helps to learn about a treatment program and evaluate the services offered before committing.
The following questions help you make an informed decision about a treatment program:
In this article
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:Verify here.