for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

[ihatebeer]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

I'm trying for 5 beers tonight. Almost made it last night but ended up at 6 beers. So I hope to get it stopped at 5 tonight.

Woody - I hope you are doing well.

[woody13]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

Hello again. I hope you can make it to 5 ihate. Good to see you are not going way above! Um, I'm going to have to start another now so I am back at stage 1. Well, maybe stage 2 because today will be my second day. I am back at work so I am going to have to take it much slower so I am not freaking out at work and feeling horrible in the day.

Oh, and ihate, I'm not making a suggestion of course, but a little of what I am doing this time is I am going to not switch the total ounces for a few days, but I am using 3 different levels of beer. Strong (8%), regular (5 to 5.5%) and light (2.5 to 4.3%). I just made up those categories, but anyway, yesterday was day one of the taper and it was 2 beers at 8% and 6 beers at 5.5%. Today I only bought 8 total at 5.5% so I have nothing strong. It will be rough, I'm already thinking about it, but I should be fine. Then tomorrow I am going to replace 2 of the 5.5% with 2 5.0% and 2 of the 5.5 with 2 others at 4.3.

I know, sounds confusing, lol, but everyday it will be lower and lower amounts of actual alcohol. Then eventually the plan is to start eliminating beers. I am definitely not a fan of cold turkey now as my only attempt was complete hell, and I think completely cutting things in half was too much for me so I'll give this a shot!

Good luck to all and let's do this!

[woody13]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

Oh and I almost forgot! If you have access to different percent beers a member here sent me a very cool calculator that will ensure you are always going less by at least something. Great tool!

Drink size calculator - Rethinking Drinking - NIAAA

[betterdays]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

Hi woody ! I did exactly the same thing, replacing hard liquor with some beer, and that with beer of lesser strength. I could not reduce daily though, and had to stay on a level for days before reducing further. This is the best method IMO.

[woody13]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

Thank you betterdays! I think I like that method and will stick with it. Unfortunately I did a little "boo boo" last night. It's crazy because everything was going so well, plus I was successful my two previous attempts. It was all spontaneous and happened in a second....... when I was done last night with my quota I just went and grabbed what was equal to 4 beers. It actually put me 2 drinks above my first day. Ouch.

I'm not blaming the new method of taper I was using, it's basically we have to remember it is very, very difficult to taper. I think I was over confident because of being successful the last two attempts. So we shall see how it goes. While I did get a lot of beer for today, it is all light beer at 4.2%. I'm feeling like this might be a little too extreme and I want to feel minimal withdrawal, so I might get a 24 ounce at 5.5%. We shall see, overall mentally I'm a little let down about last night, but nothing major and still very confident

[betterdays]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

Hi woody13 ! Don't let the setbacks bother you. I started out great, in fact I tapered too fast and had racing heart, so I slowed down. I'm on the same level for weeks now, and I'll taper more once my body adapts.

Sure, I'm in my third month of taper, and it might seem as too gradual to some, but the positive physical changes that I'm going through keep me motivated. My mood is mostly great, so I think there are mental changes also involved as the brain gets used to less alcohol.

I think I see my glass as half full, not half empty

Goodluck and hang in there.

[woody13]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

That is great to hear better! Just keep on doing what you are doing if it's working! Especially if you do not have the racing heart, as today, wow!

I am clueless as to why but all day since around noon has been horrible. I only cut out about 1.5 drinks yesterday, so the only thing I can think of is it must have been me going to all light beer, or the fact I started about 3 hours earlier yesterday since it was the weekend. Either way whatever I did my body is not liking it and the withdrawal has been and still is horrible. I don't know how I made it through the day so far, but I am home now and hurried and had 2.5, but the odd thing is I am still having the racing heart. Just crazy. I was going to cut out 2.5 more today, but I have a reserve beer so I might just drop 1 today.

All I know is I can't feel like this tomorrow. Still thinking positive though and know this will pass

[ihatebeer]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

Hey guys. Glad to see that you are still hanging in there woody and betterdays. I'm still bouncing around between 6 and 7 beers a night. Its frustrating that I cannot seem to get below six. Well, at least I'm not drinking 18- 22 beers each night like I did the last go-round.

I'm gonna keep trying as I'm sure I'm desperate enough to cut it down.

[woody13]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

Are you feeling much better yet ihate compared to the 18-22? And you got to look at it, that is GREAT! I was about exactly 18-22 a night as well. I never actually did a long taper, or cut down more than half and stay for a while so I'm not sure what that would feel like. I just know these first couple of days of even the taper were hell this time. Still are. I'm wondering if my body and heart react better to the quicker tapers I do??? I don't know, but this one has been pretty painful, but then again it might be because I am at work this time and can't just curl up in my bed.

I did cut down another one today. Down to a drop under 9. Tomorrow I will go down to 8 or a little less depending on how I feel. I was really planning on having the worse withdrawals over the weekend, but I think the way I did it this time made it not kick in until a couple days later.Overall while today had some withdrawal it was not like yesterday and overall I felt much more awake. I'm hoping to make another jump tomorrow. If I do not see things majorly subside by Thursday or Friday (IF I keep on reducing) I do have another plan for the weekend. I am hoping they go away though and this coming weekend I can feel great and be productive.

[woody13]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

And betterdays I just reread your post on page 11 about the racing heart and slowing your taper. I'm curious how many days you had the racing heart for on a slow taper? As I mentioned in my above post going slow almost seems worse for me, but then again I did make improvement today so I will give it another day or two trying to go slow. Just curious though how long it lasted. I think on my fast tapers it was about 3 to 5 days. Gosh I don't even know what day this is for me on a slow taper, but I'm guessing around day 3......... rrrrrr, um, maybe just 2, lol. Just looking for a little more improvement each day. I was able to take my dog out for a quick stroll today. He wanted more and wanted to go faster of course, but that will come soon for him and I will make it up to him At least I got out and got a little exercise! Yesterday it would have been impossible.

[ihatebeer]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

OK!!!! Just had 5 beers tonight!!! Slight urge to go out and get 12 more, but I'm not doing it! Ate a good meal beforehand always seems to decrease my intake. I just hope I feel alright tomorrow so I can do 5 again and then keep pushing it downwards.

Hang in there Woody! I feel your pain!

[ihatebeer]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

OK 5 yesterday ok?!?! 5 beers! Thought I was making progress BUUUUUUUUT NO!!!!! 8 tonight!!! I HATE BEER, I HATE BEER, I HATE BEER!!! Its all I can do to go get another!!!! I thought I was finally doing good. Well on the way to getting down to 4 3 2 1, but no. 8 beers!!!!!!

I'm so pissed off right now. My mistake was not eating before! I'm so disappointed in myself!!!1

OK, I'll try again to just do 5 tomorrow and go from there.

[paulywogg]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

actually,youre drinking such a small amount now,you could just quit for good,i hardly doubt any significant withdrawal is gonna happen after 5,6 or even 8 beers,in my experiences anyways,just saying

[woody13]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

At least you got down to the 5 ihate! That is awesome! I wasn't on last night, it was a "bad day". Like a really bad day. I went up 3 from what I was supposed to have which put me on the day before! I was pissed off too, lol. But the more I thought about it, WE BOTH still made progress! I had too much but it was a heck of a lot less than what I used to have! The good thing is tonight I am back down to 9. I ate a great meal like you did ihate, and that helped break it up.

Thank you for your response paulywogg! I am not sure if you are a doctor or your years of experience, but yes, the withdrawals will still happen at those amounts. Very, very uncomfortable. Probably not fatal, if that was what you were referring to, but definitely very, very uncomfortable at those low amounts, particularly if you are a heavy daily binge drinker and then put any consistent amounts in your body even if it is 6, 7, 8. I will admit I noticed I could stop the day after I went to four. But I would say you still get many side effects until you hit down to 4. At least that is how I felt it.

I also have to admit I do seem to be better at cutting 2 drinks a day and stopping as fast as I can. I get the same vital readings and withdrawals from trying to do a longer taper. To me the longer one seems to be more torture with more chances to slip up. But that's just me. So I changed my mind on the slowness and am going to go for a totally free day on Monday. 7.5 tomorrow, 6 on Saturday, 4 on Sunday. Just somewhere in that area, but either way my goal is to have a free day on Monday. I feel the worst is gone for now, although still somewhat uncomfortable at times. Tomorrow should be much better.

DO WELL ALL! And don't worry about the set backs ihate. As I said I was getting pissed at myself too, but when I break it all down, even a slip up at this point is still much less than a slip up on my daily binge drinking! I think we are doing really well

[ihatebeer]

for home-detoxers: How to Taper off Alcohol

Thank you paulywog and woody for your responses. I do want to just stop drinking but I have this fear about having a seizure or bad withdrawals.

Paulywog here is a little history of my drinking. Last year I was medically detoxed. Prior to detox I was drinking 12-20 beers a night for about a year. After detox I was AF for 6 months. Then little by little I started drinking again. So now I've been drinking an average of 7 beers a night since March, so for about 3.5 months. I've been trying to cut it down to zero via the taper method. I don't know if my current drinking episode of 3.5 months is something I can just quit cold turkey or if I should continue the taper. Anyway all suggestions, advice, encouragement and support is always appreciated!!!

Hey woody you are right about making progress. At least I'm not steadily heading in the WRONG direction!! I'm sorry to hear about your struggles as well. We just have to keep on trying and not give up as I believe we both have a true desire to stop.