The risk of tapering too slowly is that you won’t stick with it, while the risk of tapering too fast is severe withdrawal. If you experience dangerous signs such as high blood pressure, racing heart, or arrhythmias, slow your taper and seek assistance. Quitting any addictive substance can be extremely difficult, but quitting alcohol is often especially so.

  • Depending on a variety of factors, it could be dangerous for you to reduce or stop drinking without medical support.
  • When an individual has developed a substance use disorder or dependence on alcohol, stopping its use outright can seem virtually impossible.
  • For women, the recommended limits are no more than 3 drinks on any day and no more than 7 drinks per week 7.
  • Getting professional treatment for alcohol addiction can give you the tools to create, and maintain, a healthy and happy lifestyle.
  • It should not be used to replace the suggestions of your…

Tapering can help minimize these symptoms, but you might still experience some of them while your body adjusts to the lack of alcohol. As a rule of thumb, HAMS (a harm reduction support organization) suggests reducing your consumption by two standard drinks per day until you reach zero. For example, if you typically have 10 drinks per day, you could cut back to 8 the first day, then 6, 4, 2, and finally none. If you have 20 or more drinks per day, they suggest one drink per hour the first day, every hour and a half the next, then reducing by 2 drinks per day after that. Alcohol works by increasing the potency of a neutral chemical in the brain called GABA, or gamma-Aminobutyric acid.

But since alcohol addiction can also be dangerous, you may need to get through withdrawal to achieve sobriety and better health. Learn more here…