Legacy Healing Center Blog

Cold Turkey Or Slowly Quit? Best Way To Quit Abusing Alcohol

Have you, or someone around you, reached a point where drinking alcohol has become a bit more than an occasional thing? Although it is difficult to be considered, according to the CDC, someone who is alcohol dependent, it doesn’t make it any easier to stop drinking if you’ve made a habit of it.

There are safe methods of quitting alcohol without going cold turkey.

If you or someone around you has made alcohol the main focus, a conversation about how to stop drinking may be necessary. The question that arises is, is tapering off alcohol a better option than quitting drinking cold turkey? Continue reading to find out more about how to taper off alcohol and quitting drinking cold turkey vs quitting slowly.

Tapering Off Alcohol

When is it appropriate to think about tapering off alcohol? A few signs of a severe alcohol use disorder would include:

• Noticing that a person is unable to limit drinking

• The individual continues to drink, ignoring any sort of personal or professional problems

• The individual needs to drink more to reach the same effect as previously with less alcohol

• Noticing that the individual needs to drink so badly that it comes before everything

The idea of tapering off alcohol seems much less stressful for most individuals instead of knocking the habit of drinking numerous beers abruptly. You may be wondering the best way how to taper off alcohol, and although not every method works the same for each person, in general, the best strategies are as follows:

• Gradually reduce the number so drinks consumed daily over a period of time

• While drinking, substitute a glass of water for every other drink

• Limit number of drinks per time period such as an hour

• Make drinks that have less alcohol content in them

• Switch up your drink to something you don’t like, making it easier to drink less

• Always be consistent in your tapering off alcohol process

How does quitting drinking cold turkey vs quitting slowly differ? Not every person is the same and sometimes tapering off alcohol by cutting down slowly just doesn’t work.

In certain circumstances, individuals may start out strong, tapering off alcohol, but then fall back into their usual habits. In these circumstances, the best ways how to taper off alcohol simply don’t work and the need for extra help may be necessary.

Quitting Drinking Cold Turkey VS Quitting Slowly

Individuals who have an alcohol use disorder may find that quitting drinking cold turkey is the best bet for them. In these circumstances, finding help through a substance abuse center may be the way to go to help an individual with an alcohol use disorder. AUD (alcohol use disorder) is a disease, a chronic one, and without the proper help and education, falling victim to old habits will most likely happen.

Individuals with AUD will also experience withdrawal symptoms when they are not drinking, leading them to drink to alleviate the pain. This would be an opportune moment to speak about finding help in a medical treatment center.

Individuals who seek help at a treatment center are able to find help either outpatient or inpatient, with inpatient helping more moderate to severe issues. In an inpatient treatment center, the individual is able to be treated for withdrawal symptoms, and begin therapy.

During the period of withdrawal, the individual almost always has to stay in a treatment facility to ensure safety as well as observation to help monitor the process and possible administer medications.

The types of medications administered will depend on each individual and what they are going through. Once the withdrawal process has been completed, the individual can begin therapy and education to help move towards recovery. This process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the addiction, and seeking help is never a bad idea.

You can learn more tips on how to get someone into rehab, or just find out more about the detox and rehab process by visiting Legacy Healing Center. Call us today at 888-597-3547.