Alcohol Withdrawal: Symptoms, Timeline, and Treatment

Reach out to a treatment provider for free today for immediate assistance. 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 how to taper off alcohol 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.

When not properly treated, AWS can progress to delirium tremens (Table 38–10). You should also consider an alcohol withdrawal taper if you’ve ever gone through withdrawal from alcohol, or any other depressant, in the past. Alcohol withdrawal can cause something called kindling to occur in your brain. Kindling refers to lasting physical changes in the brain that cause each subsequent withdrawal period to be worse. Someone who has gone through alcohol withdrawal several times is more likely to experience severe withdrawal symptoms than someone going through it for the first time. More serious alcohol withdrawal symptoms may require medical attention.

What To Do After You Complete Your Taper

If you begin to have withdrawal symptoms during your taper, this is a sign that your taper may be going too fast, and you need to slow it down. It can take different people varying amounts of time to taper off alcohol. How long it takes depends on factors like how much you typically drink. A person who drinks more alcohol will probably have a longer taper than a person who drinks less alcohol. When you drink heavily, your brain changes its sensitivity to GABA.

Antidepressant medications are not meant to be used for treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder unless there is evidence of a co-occurring disorder for which an antidepressant is an indicated treatment. We have taken the necessary precautions to minimize the risk of exposure and transmission of the Coronavirus to those in our treatment programs, allowing them to focus on their recovery. Those with severe or complicated symptoms should be referred to the nearest emergency department for inpatient hospitalization. Ark Behavioral Health offers 100% confidential substance abuse assessment and treatment placement tailored to your individual needs. Educate your loved ones on dangerous symptoms, too, so they can look out for you and get you medical attention if you need it.

Benefits of drinking less alcohol

Tapering or weaning means ramping down your alcohol use until you get to zero—or to a more moderate level of drinking that you prefer. Slowly tapering your alcohol use can help you manage mild withdrawal symptoms and decrease the risk of AUD. However, you may experience withdrawal symptoms or relapse if you’re not tapering correctly and safely.

But from a harm reduction standpoint, it’s much less likely to get you into trouble than alcohol, pills, or harder drugs. If you’re cross-addicted to harder drugs like stimulants or opiates, you need to stop using those. Experience has shown me most people who continue using other hard substances simply get high and then continue drinking.

Physical Symptoms

As you prepare to wean off alcohol, consider taking the following steps ahead of time to have a clear path to success. When you are drinking less than 10 units a day, you can try to stop drinking altogether. For example, if you normally drink 20 units a day, try reducing this to 18 units a day. Without changing your drinking habits, try keeping a drinking diary for one week. Our free and confidential services are open as usual and can help you detox safely.

You can enter in the type of drinks you consume and when you drink them to determine the total amount of alcohol you consume each day. The idea is to religiously take this like medicine for the next week or two. The important thing is to stay safe in the case of a medical emergency. For people who experience hallucinations as part of alcohol withdrawal, these may begin in the 12- to 24-hour time frame. There is no exact timeline for alcohol withdrawal, and individual factors, such as previous level of dependence on alcohol, will influence it.