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Tapering off alcohol

Old 04-28-2020, 11:13 AM
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Tapering off alcohol

Hey y'all. I'm a long time alcoholic and know it's now time to stop. I'm 38 and usual poison of choice is chardonnay. Boxed wine.

I work nights and usually drink from around 7am until 1 or 2pm when I go to sleep. I go through 5 liters in two days.

I've recently, in the past month or so, started getting scary withdrawal symptoms at work. I'll start twitching or my head will jerk and spasm. I'll get hot flashes and my hands will shake.

So last week I hit a new low. As a safety precaution I'll bring some mini bottles with me to work and if I feel like the withdrawals are getting too bad I'll go to my car on break and take a few drinks.

I'm not proud of this. I'm afraid this is going to end in me getting fired, a DWI, or death.
​​​​​​
So I'm attempting to taper off. If any of you have successfully tapered off, I'd love to hear your tips and tricks. Right now I'm trying to drink a little less than the previous day and go to sleep earlier.

I've successfully quit 3 times before. One time was due to being prescribed benzos, which I'd REALLY like to avoid.

Are there natural supplements or teas or something that ease the withdrawal symptoms?

I am a smoker but I've recently stopped drinking coffee, other than one cup on my days off.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I know this is a grey area and I'm not expecting professional medical advice on this forum. Just looking to pick the brains of any of you who successfully tapered off.

​​​​​​​Thanks in advance.
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Old 04-28-2020, 11:32 AM
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Re: Tapering off alcohol

Welcome Jttx. There really isn't a good way to taper that has any sort of reported success. It simply doesn't work for us addicts. Tapering is related to the myth of moderation. During your taper, you get down to 3 or 4 glasses of wine per day (still VERY unhealthy in that amount) and then you'll convince yourself you can moderate. The it's back to drinking. The vast majority of collective experience is that you just have to stop.
You report signs of withdrawal from alcohol after only a few hours of not drinking. You should plan on some detox symptoms that you will medical help with. Get some medical advice right away - only from health care professionals. No Dr. Google or online advice. There are things that medical professionals can do to make quitting more tolerable and survivable.
Good luck and welcome to SR. This is a great forum and you'll find much support here. We've all been in your shoes, but you can be done with the struggle and live a peaceful life.
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Old 04-28-2020, 11:36 AM
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Re: Tapering off alcohol

Hi and Welcome,
I'm glad you joined us. Tapering off alcohol for us alcoholics, is really, really difficult. Most of us have tried, often multiple times, and failed. It's actually much easier to stop completely. If you're concerned about withdrawal symptoms, you could contact your doctor or go to an ER if necessary.
Basically, take care of your body, drink a lot of water, eat as well as you can, and get some exercise when you are able to. Those things will help you get through the early days of sobriety.
It's also a good idea to come up with a recovery plan that will work for you so you have something in place when the cravings come along.
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Old 04-28-2020, 01:24 PM
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Re: Tapering off alcohol

I successfully tapered and then used prescribed benzos (ativan) to help with any possible serious side effects. I successfully tapered off of those too. It can be done but there are many here who think it's not a good idea due to their years of experience. In the end it's up to you.
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Old 04-28-2020, 02:27 PM
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Re: Tapering off alcohol

Though medical supervision is recommended tapering can be done.
I began tapering 32 days ago. Stopped tapering 30 days ago. Have been sober since.
I have been unsuccessful at tapering probably 8 to 10 times previous.
The ONLY time it worked for me was when I had a total commitment. I had the understanding in my deepest self that I had to live the rest of my days sober.The fear here was that I would only live a day or two and then die during withdrawal. So I tapered.
I had a drink shorty after waking, then did not permit another for three hours, then four, then 5 and a half, then seven, then stretch as far as I believed I could (I think 9 hrs or so) then try to sleep, made to 11 hours, then the next ‘intake’ was vitamins instead. Then at 12 hours past that, some yogurt (probiotics). Then some tea later in the day.

Oh....never drank enough to get a glow these times, just enough to quell the harsh physical symptoms.
This after ingesting 40-60 oz per day for several days in a row.
This was just my experience with it.
Whatever you decide, keep posting here with us at SR.There is plenty of caring and kind advice here.
Be well.
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Old 04-28-2020, 02:43 PM
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Re: Tapering off alcohol

Hi and welcome
I was never able to taper - if I had alcohol I had to drink it all at once.Sometimes its not safe to taper either.
I've recently, in the past month or so, started getting scary withdrawal symptoms at work. I'll start twitching or my head will jerk and spasm. I'll get hot flashes and my hands will shake.So last week I hit a new low. As a safety precaution I'll bring some mini bottles with me to work and if I feel like the withdrawals are getting too bad I'll go to my car on break and take a few drinks.
If things are that bad, please seek medical help jttx81.
D
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Old 04-28-2020, 05:44 PM
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I became prone to withdrawal seizures so it was medically dangerous for me to stop suddenly without tapering.

yet I never could taper - once I’d had the first few and felt ok I would drink until passing out time. “I’ll have to taper tomorrow”. It was a horrible purgatory of drinking because I had to but not being able to stop when I wanted to. Utter misery and I hope nobody else has to get that far gone.

only after the last seizures which nearly killed me did I stop, detoxed at the hospital. 16 months ago
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Old 04-28-2020, 05:51 PM
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Just a reminder on medical advice, folks:
Medical and Psychiatric advice includes giving a diagnosis, treatment plan, medication advice and dosage suggestions, over the counter and natural home remedies that should be approved by medical professionals.
https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...al-advice.html (Reminder On Medical Advice.)

A taper is a treatment plan.
Share your experience responsibly - but no recommendations for others please.


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Old 04-28-2020, 06:09 PM
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All I can add is that tapering never worked for me. I just could not do it. My drinking just kept getting worse. When I finally quit, I struggled for a few days nearly beating my head against an imaginary wall, and then the cravings subsided, and I started to get well. It's hard to express just how happy I am to not drink anymore. If your alcoholism is far enough along, you may need to get medical help. You're self described withdrawal symptoms make me nervous. Most alcoholics don't need medical detox, but if you do, I wouldn't do that on my own.
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Old 04-28-2020, 06:35 PM
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Hey JT - I've done it both ways - I have gone cold turkey and tapered. If you want to taper - in my experience, you have to really keep a count of how many drinks you take a day and go SLOWLY down. You aren't drinking to get drunk (which is very hard) but you are trying to keep the worst of the withdraw symptoms away.
It's not magic - but it can be done. A lot of countries won't prescribe benzos to get you safely stopped and people have to do this or go cold turkey.
Again, just my experience.
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Old 04-28-2020, 06:44 PM
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Trying to taper is better than not being able to try at all..I did taper once...I was at the end of my physical life...alcohol was killing me but I was in the vicious cycle...I was a beer drinker....so what I did was I peronsally bought shots to have in the house and only would drink one if I was having withdrawal symptoms...so withdrawal..drink a shot...sleep....withdrawal..drink a shot sleep....but I couldn't have it be a "shot" of beer otherwise I would give in and drink all 24 of them....I did the shots of a different alcohol for a couple days..and then I felt ok to go cold turkey because my alcohol consumption was way down...
It CAN be done...there are taper schedules on line if you wanted to use your drink of choice as the taper....If you have enough will to do this...you can do it...by will I mean if you say I had 10 beers yesterday and today I'm going to make 6 last...and you stick to that.....than maybe you do that for 2 days and then stop on the 3rd day....look up a program of taper that might fit your needs...cause I still say try anything...all else fails....go to a hospital to detox..
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Old 04-29-2020, 03:42 AM
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I was so sick with withdrawals the last few times i quit. I also had to take a few shots to make it through work. Then it got to the point where withdrawals were so bad that i couldnt even continue drinking even if i wanted to. Hot flashes, numb tingling throughout the body, nausea induced vomiting, and the most intense anxiety. Just sick as sick could be.

For my own reasons, doing a medically supervised withdrawal wasnt an option. Luckily i was able to get some time off of work. What i would do for the first couple of days after quiting would be to drink a beer or just some gulps when i started to feel the darkness closing in and hot hyperventilating hit me. I went out of my way to not catch a buzz. And wouldnt drink unless i felt i absolutely had to, Just enough to feel like i wasnt going to die. It helped i was so sick i didnt want to drink but just survive.
Then it was time for the halucinations and relentless thumping music when going to bed. If i could sleep, i would awake in a void anxiety, not knowing who or where i was for a few seconds, blanketed in sweat.

After 2 days, i would maybe take one sip on day 3, then quit completely. By then the halucinations had quit but i still had a week of tossing, turning, thumping music, and night sweats. The 1st night of real sleep on day 4 or 5, even though i would have the moat intense nightmares felt like a god send. Then on day 6 and 7 started to feel human again.
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Old 04-29-2020, 04:52 AM
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I was able to taper, I think part of the reason was that I was just so sick and tired of drinking by that point, the pleasure was gone, and it had started to feel like a chore. I think I did 2-3 days of a few drinks and then stopped completely. It was very helpful for me to drink a LOT of water, and I was careful not to worry about "fixing" anything else at the same time (caffeine, sugar, whatever I wanted to eat were all completely fair game, and I focused on rest instead of exercise). I definitely think that helped me a lot, not having any kind of a deprivation mindset which ALWAYS activated my AV. Please take care and keep posting, we understand what you're going through.
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Old 04-29-2020, 05:55 PM
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I've tapered successfully any number of times - very quickly. I always did it on one day and it was torturous. Exactly half my "normal" ration on that day. As others have said, my perspective was that the alcohol is to be used very sparingly just to stave off the worst symptoms.

Had I tried to taper over several days, I think I would have failed. Feeling better plus looking forward to my daily ration would have only fed my addiction.

I've also done medical detox. Hands down it's the better way to go.

Either which way, it's the Staying Stopped that's been the real issue for me. In my humble opinion, that's the prize every one of us should keep our eyes on.

O
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Old 04-30-2020, 09:28 AM
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I’ve been in you same position where I would carry small bottles or a water bottle filled with Vodka in my car to keep the withdrawal symptoms in check. Unfortunately that ultimately led to me passing out in my car on multiple occasions as the amount I needed to drink to deal with the withdrawal became more and more. The cycle doesn’t stop, it just gets worse. I had to stop cold turkey with the help of Ativan to decrease the more severe withdrawal symptoms. I’ve detoxed 4-5 times over the past two years and I can tell you that kindling is a real thing. This last detox was brutal even with the meds. Make the decision to quit, take a week off work if possible, contact your doctor (don’t be too prideful to make this call) and let them help you. From there it’s about hydrating like crazy, disconnecting from any stressors and getting some rest. I would also recommend talking to a therapist if one can be referred to you. It’s good to have multiple outlets to discuss things.
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Old 05-01-2020, 01:24 PM
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Originally Posted by FlyAgain View Post
I became prone to withdrawal seizures so it was medically dangerous for me to stop suddenly without tapering.

yet I never could taper - once I’d had the first few and felt ok I would drink until passing out time. “I’ll have to taper tomorrow”. It was a horrible purgatory of drinking because I had to but not being able to stop when I wanted to. Utter misery and I hope nobody else has to get that far gone.

only after the last seizures which nearly killed me did I stop, detoxed at the hospital. 16 months ago
Did you know you were about to have a seizure? Or did it just happen?
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Old 05-01-2020, 03:25 PM
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Detoxing from alcohol can be dangerous. Talk to your doctor or go to an ER if you are at all concerned about seizures.
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Old 05-02-2020, 12:44 AM
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Are you tapering Jttx? Tapering, seizures, managing detox while continuing to drink - ALL topics you should discuss only with a medical professional. I hope you are sober and healing up and ready for a better life.
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Old 05-02-2020, 03:09 AM
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The trouble is when you are that physically dependent on alcohol it's a very fine balance and you can flip into trouble really quickly. I managed to taper a couple of times but in the end I was either intoxicated or withdrawing with no in-between. I would recommend medical detox and sick time off work, if this isn't possible then just make sure you aren't alone if you try this.
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Old 05-02-2020, 03:13 AM
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And I never knew when I was going to have a seizure you just wake up covered in bruises if you're lucky
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