Now, looking back on the past year, I see how much I have grown, not just by quitting alcohol, but by choosing to prioritise myself, my dreams, and my well-being. Early on, I sought out support from other women on the same journey. If you are thinking of letting go of alcohol, know that you don’t have to do it in isolation. It was my go-to for celebrating, coping, socialising, and unwinding after a long day. But over time, I began to feel like alcohol wasn’t just a companion; it was a crutch.

• Alcohol withdrawal is dangerous and it’s important to be careful throughout the process.
• The best thing is that I no longer feel deprived or miss out when watching others drink around me.
• For this reason, experts advise that alcohol cessation be monitored safely with steady effort between oneself and a physician.

Join a Support Group

• If you are someone who deals with addiction, find emergency hotlines, counseling, and treatment options here.
• Tapering is the practice of slowly reducing the regular consumption of a substance like alcohol.
• For this reason, even at-home tapers should be done under a doctor’s care.
• Tapering off alcohol can be a reasonable strategy for anyone who desires to stop drinking.
• Alcoholism, more correctly known as alcohol use disorder (AUD), impacts more than 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 12.

This leads to raised blood pressure, raised pulse rate, rapid breathing, fever, hallucinations, seizures and D.T.s. By Buddy TBuddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee https://ecosoberhouse.com/ with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.

Creating an Alcohol Weaning Schedule

Even if you don’t end up cutting out all alcohol, tracking your emotions and urges to discover your triggers can be helpful, Wakeman said. Stressful days at work, social gatherings, and even Friday nights at home became tests of my resolve. Too often, when we try to quit or cut back, we focus solely on changing our actions without addressing the beliefs driving them. This mismatch creates inner conflict—a tug-of-war between the goal to drink less and the desire to keep drinking.

Triggers: Why and when do you drink?

Once you know it is medically safe to stop drinking, you should loop in a therapist or addiction specialist. They will be able to help you uncover the underlying causes of your drinking how do you wean off alcohol issues and properly diagnose any co-occurring mental health conditions that you may be suffering from. Tapering off alcohol gives the body time to adapt to the lack of alcohol. This reduces the severity of withdrawal symptoms and chances of fatal complications. The experience of withdrawing from alcohol can be uncomfortable and difficult.

Quitting alcohol can be extremely hard, especially without medical support. Further, mental health disorders like anxiety and depression are extremely common in those who struggle with drinking, and these disorders can make it even harder to stay sober. Telling your close friends and family about your plan to taper off alcohol can provide you with a strong support system. Their encouragement can help you stay motivated and hold you accountable for sticking to your plan.

An alcohol taper is a way to wean yourself off alcohol and avoid withdrawal symptoms. Although all forms of alcohol cessation should be done with medical guidance, tapering your alcohol intake may allow you to self-wean from drinking at home. People looking to quit drinking may consider either tapering or going cold turkey, meaning they abruptly stop all alcohol consumption without weaning. This helps you stay accountable and ensures that you’re following your tapering schedule.

• If you are looking to reduce your alcohol consumption safely, contact Legacy Healing.
• A relapse can serve as an opportunity for you to refocus on your larger goals, practice self-forgiveness, and find ways to stay motivated.
• A luxury center treating addiction and co-occurring mental health with evidence-based therapies, a continuum of care in bespoke facilities, and private bedrooms.
• Perhaps you imbibed a bit too much over the holidays or want to start a healthy routine and can’t afford the calories or the zap in energy and motivation that drinking can bring.
• Set up therapy, counseling and support groups, a plan for sober living, and follow-up medical evaluations.

Consult a Healthcare Professional First

It is very important that you estimate your BASELINE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION in terms of standard drinks in order for you to be able to set up a taper schedule. Just for reference a 12 ounce regular strength (5%) beer is one standard drink. A standard (750 ml) bottle of wine at 12% alcohol contains 5 standard drinks. Some people may also find it easier to just taper off their alcohol use rather than jumping immediately into an abstinence day even if they do not have significant withdrawal symptoms. For some drinkers, cutting down on the amount of alcohol they drink simply does not work.

Depending on how much alcohol you drink to start with, the amount of time an alcohol weaning schedule takes may vary. For example, those who drink more heavily may need more time to taper than those who drink less alcohol. Further, if you start to develop alcohol withdrawal symptoms during the taper, your doctor may instruct you to pause or slow the taper as a result. These factors can make one person’s taper last longer than another Sober living home person’s taper.