There are lots of great reasons to decide to go “dry” in January and give up alcohol. 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. One of how do you wean off alcohol the most powerful lessons I learned this year is to celebrate the small wins. Every time I made it through a tough day without drinking or navigated a social event sober, I acknowledged my progress. Those moments added up and became the foundation of my confidence in staying alcohol-free. That’s when I shifted my strategies and started to focus on uncovering the hidden beliefs I had about alcohol.

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The effects of alcohol can vary depending on weight, gender, age and other factors. Each person’s alcohol metabolism is different, and even though a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .085 is considered legal intoxication, a BAC lower than .08 may adversely affect some people. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that works in the brain by https://ecosoberhouse.com/ slowing down activity. It achieves its effects by working with an inhibitory neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid, known as GABA. GABA is a chemical messenger in the brain that slows activity in the central nervous system so that you can rest, relax, and sleep. It is important in curbing the effects of anxiety and vigilance when it’s time for you to get some rest.

Quitting Drinking: How to Taper Off Alcohol

• Support from loved ones is invaluable when learning how to wean off alcohol safely.
• DTs can be fatal, and a person going through them should have medical support in a hospital or rehab facility.
• Getting curious about a life without alcohol is already an incredible step, and a healthier lifestyle is within reach.
• Concrete goals such as embracing new sleep habits or an exercise routine will help make giving up drinking easier, she said.

Depending on how much you drink, tapering off alcohol can take one to several weeks. It’s best to reduce your drinking by a small amount each day to avoid the shock to your system. So, if you normally have 6 beers a day, you could be done tapering within one week.

Evaluate Your Drinking Habits

It’s important to know how much alcohol is in your drink and slow down the amount you’re drinking. Have you ever been out to dinner and the first person to order gets an espresso martini and then suddenly everyone else at the table orders an espresso martini? That’s because drinking can also be about sharing an experience, says Sheinbaum. The thing is, your shared experience doesn’t have to be with alcohol. It’s kind of like exposure therapy for not drinking for longer periods of time. You’ll get better at navigating spaces without an alcoholic beverage in hand and build up the muscle to deal with Alcoholics Anonymous the anxiety you have about not drinking.

After 30 Days

If you’ve become dependent on alcohol, you may encounter alcohol withdrawal when you cut back or stop drinking. Withdrawal symptoms can be dangerous and even life-threatening, particularly when you quit cold turkey after a long period of alcohol abuse. If you experience withdrawal symptoms, speak to a doctor about tapering safely. If you’ve been drinking regularly for a long time, you may need to speak to a doctor before you stop drinking. Making a schedule to slowly reduce your alcohol intake is a safe way to taper off the substance. This will ensure that you are not quitting cold turkey which could result in severe and debilitating  withdrawal symptoms or even death.

Can people successfully use alcohol to taper off?

• If you’ve been drinking heavily for a long time and think you might experience withdrawal symptoms, it’s best to talk with a medical professional before you begin a taper.
• Tapering alcohol may be uncomfortable, and there may be subconscious triggers that stimulate the desire to drink alcohol.
• While you don’t need to discuss your drinking habits with everyone, bringing a few friends in on your intention is a good idea, says Treloar Padovano.
• When you stop drinking, your brain will stop getting the inhibitory effects of alcohol and become overstimulated.
• If you do relapse, talk to your therapist or addiction treatment specialist who can help you quickly get back on track and prevent it from happening again.

This can equate to as much as a full bottle of beer or less than two tablespoons of whisky. It is important to measure your alcohol use in standard drinks while tapering to allow for an accurate comparison of how much you use from day to day. Substituting a prescription drug for alcohol should only happen with the help of a medical professional. No one should ever attempt a substitution taper with prescription medication unless their doctor specifically prescribed it for that purpose in a medical detox program. If the drink of choice is liquor, it is difficult to measure amounts and easy to binge drink.