Author: Gary Jackson
16 Ways To Stop Drinking Alcohol
However, it’s important to keep in mind that alcohol detox can be dangerous if it’s done at home. Detox at a professional rehab facility is typically the most recommended method for addressing alcohol addiction and dependence. Talk to your doctor or a drug treatment specialist about what to expect as you experience alcohol withdrawal. Ask your doctor whether any medications may help in the process. Identify a family member or friend who you can call on to provide emotional support. Early symptoms of alcohol withdrawal usually start about six hours after the last drink.
Dr. Streem suggests starting with the World Health Organization’s Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). It can be a particularly helpful way to help you get a clearer understanding of your drinking habits and your relationship with alcohol. It’s a 10-question screening test that gives you research-backed, personalized advice for quitting or reducing your intake of alcohol. But if you’re living with alcohol use disorder, drinking is more than a habit. People with alcohol use disorder can’t stop drinking even when it causes problems, like emotional distress or physical harm to themselves or others.
Benefits Of Medically-Supervised Detox Treatment
Common medications include benzodiazepines to help treat symptoms like anxiety, insomnia, and seizures. You might also take anti-seizure meds and antipsychotics, along with other drugs. Over time, your central nervous system adjusts to having alcohol around all the time.
- Slowly tapering off alcohol is the safest way to naturally overcome alcohol withdrawal, and many at-home remedies can help you cope with mild withdrawal symptoms.
- Many involve a combination of group psychotherapy (talk therapy) and medications.
- People who only drink occasionally probably won’t notice any physical or psychological symptoms.
- She enjoys interviewing medical experts and researchers about their work and is passionate about communicating accurate and relevant health information to the public.
But Dr. Streem knows that it can be hard to recognize signs of alcohol abuse in ourselves. Often, people with alcohol use disorder find that other people in their lives spot their addiction long before they do. Whatever your reason to quit drinking, know that you’re doing yourself a favor. Alcohol impacts our sleep, relationships, weight, risk for serious chronic conditions and more.