Pros and Cons of Tapering Off Alcohol Intake

Whether you're a daily imbiber, heavy drinker, or frequent binge drinker, you're likely to experience withdrawal symptoms when you quit. Unfortunately, there's little to no evidence that tapering off reduces the effects of alcohol withdrawal, some of which can be severe or even life-threatening. Quitting with proper medical supervision may be more important than whether you stop gradually or all at once.

Tapering Off Alcohol vs. Going Cold Turkey

Tapering off is a standard medical practice for many other drugs. For example, healthcare providers usually don't take patients off antidepressants suddenly; rather, they gradually reduce the dosages.

Obviously quitting cold turkey from a 12-beer-a-day habit is going to be more stressful than tapering off slowly. But that does not mean home detox is effective, appropriate, or safe.

Strategies for Tapering Off Alcohol

Try these tips for tapering off:

• Gradually reduce the number of drinks you usually drink. For example, if you typically drink five glasses of wine every day, try cutting back to four glasses for several days. Then, try to reduce it to three.
• Space out your drinks. Limit yourself to one drink per hour, for example, or substitute a glass of water, juice, or Gatorade between each alcoholic drink.
• Dilute your drinks. Mix progressively weaker drinks with less alcohol.
• Change to an alcoholic beverage you don't like. For example, switch from wine (which you like) to beer (which you don't). The rationale is simply that you're less likely to drink much of a beverage you don't like.

Challenges of Tapering Off Alcohol

For some drinkers, cutting down on the amount of alcohol they drink simply does not work. They may cut back for a short period of time, but they soon find themselves back to drinking at their usual level. This is especially true of heavy drinkers who are surrounded by the triggers that encourage drinking and lack the support needed to encourage change.

Those who find that they cannot taper off the number of drinks for any significant length of time probably have developed a severe alcohol use disorder or have become what is commonly known as an alcoholic. For others, simply cutting back the number of drinks can bring on alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Moreover, substituting one kind of beverage for another does not help you taper off alcohol if you consume the same number of standard drinks as you usually have. For example, one 12-ounce can of beer contains the same amount of alcohol as a 5-ounce glass of wine or a mixed drink containing 1.5 ounces of alcohol.

With these things in mind, you need to weigh the pros and cons of tapering your alcohol use—ideally with someone you trust—to make a fully informed decision.

A Word From Verywell

If you find that you are one of those drinkers who cannot taper their alcohol consumption consistently or if you find that you begin to experience withdrawal symptoms by merely cutting back, don't give up.

You don't have to let the fear of alcohol withdrawal stop you from cutting back or quitting. You may decide to seek medical treatment for your withdrawal symptoms or decide to enter a professional detox or rehab center.

Whatever you do, it is better to act than not act. Even if you fail, there are still plenty of treatment options you can turn to. Don't give up.