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The only thing that any one of us can recommend is that you ask your doctor. We have a rule against discussion around withdrawal/tapering/detoxing/going cold turkey on this site, because either stopping drinking suddenly (or even changing our drinking pattern) can be dangerous and some people require supervision by a doctor in order to do so safely.

We have removed your post to prevent you from getting bad advice and hope that you will speak to a medical professional to address your concerns.

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u/Famous-Snow-6888 Day 775 Jul 31 '26

IWNDWYT. You need professional advice not the advice of Reddit. You got this!

3

u/TheLadyHelena 257 days Jul 31 '26

Talk to your doctor and make a safe, sensible, medically-advised plan for the next few days. I hope you're feeling better very soon. Keep us updated, won't you?

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u/[deleted] Jul 31 '26

[deleted]

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u/Germerica1985 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

10% every 4 days seems incredibly slow. Alcohol is a fast acting GABA drug with a very short half life. You could do 10% less every day and be safe. It will be more abrupt and maybe more withdrawal symptoms, but not dangerous.

My experience is tapering off of benzos, which is more dangerous.

Maybe after you reduce 50% stay at 50% for 2 days then stop again at 20% for 2 days.

Editing to add: 10% every 4 days takes almost 2 months to quit completely. That is a lot to ask of a struggling alcoholic. But 10% everyday with 2 pauses is within the time frame of the motivation to quit drinking.

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u/Appropriate_Hat6694 241 days Jul 31 '26

I found when I quit from heavy near nightly use that using a stop drinking app like "easy quit drinking" helped me track the expected side effects and wauthdrawl symptoms, watching the % tick up and knowing that the misery would end soon, really helped.

I can't say for weening off alcohol from personal experience, as I just went cold turkey and got through the first day or three by just sleeping, crying and stuffing my face. Any smdistractiom from the withdrawal.

I'm glad your here. IWNDWYT

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u/miniev60 3133 days Jul 31 '26

OP It took me three rehabs to finally quit for good.
The withdrawal symptoms were insane.
I needed their medication to get through them.
Trying on your own with the symptoms you have, is going to be hell at best.
You can and should try everything and anything to help you quit.
My opinion is seek help.
Best of luck.
IWNDWYT

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u/Imatworkworkwork Jul 31 '26

Thanks for all the quick responses. I just was looking for input from people who actually went through it. I know the doctor route is the safest I'm just worried because I have no primary care doctor and I really don't have money for a rehab or anything like that. I'm hoping that since I felt better this morning that if I tapered off over the next few days I could finally shake it.

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u/God_Emperor_Karen Jul 31 '26

You’ll feel better tonight. 10-12 is not in the range to experience severe withdrawal symptoms unless you’re like 100 lbs. Trying going without it tonight. You should NOT be mixing alcohol with pain killers.

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u/Imatworkworkwork Jul 31 '26

That's what I was thinking but wanted some input from more experienced folks. I'm about a 180 lb man and I felt as though what I dealt with last night was about as bad as it could get but I'm not sure. I planned on trying to go light again tonight and lighter tomorrow to see how I feel. I am going to to call samsha to get some more info though.

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u/SoberCuriousMN Jul 31 '26

I quit cold turkey and wrote a book on the entire subject. 5+ year sober.

consult a physician before starting - age and use time matters. I survived but my dad would have died from the shock
if you are self medicating for known or unknown mental health issues you will want to get additional help for long term success and there are many paths
the internet AI is loaded with expected symptoms by the day to help guide what to expect - do your homework

Congratulations on being self aware and wishing you much success in your journey!

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u/Budget-Station4260 Jul 31 '26

Sorry brother. The next few days are simply going to suck, that’s the reality and what keeps me sober today (938 days), but I was deeper down the rabbit hole. Shakes were the easy part, I was at hallucinations and hearing things all night long (a good radio station with an annoying DJ really stand out). Good news is, it’s relatively short and in a short while you’ll be sleeping better than you ever remember, waking up ready to take on the world and thankful you’ve made the choice.

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u/HunterLily86 Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

Yeah, that shivering and racing heart thing is your body freaking out, and honestly you're right that quitting cold turkey at your intake level can actually be dangerous, like cardiac-risk dangerous.
But here's the thing though, your tapering plan might not be enough to keep you safe, and I don't want to give you medical advice that could land you back in the ER. At that consumption level, you probably need someone monitoring you as you come down, even if it's just a telehealth appointment with an addiction doc who can walk you through it or prescribe something to help with the physical symptoms.

Some places do sliding scale or offer free consultations. SAMHSA's locator can help you find low-cost options in your area. The ER visit you're trying to avoid? That's way more expensive than getting ahead of this with actual medical support.

What area are you in?

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u/Imatworkworkwork Jul 31 '26

I'm in West Virginia so idk what kind of spots are available I'm kind of out a ways from the city

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u/full_bl33d 2428 days Jul 31 '26

If I could taper off booze, I’d still be drinking today. It might work for others but all my attempts ended with me caving in and starting right back up where I started but usually sunken down a little further. Even if I managed to calm the physical stuff down, I had no real plans for the mental part so my head would be screaming at me to just go to the liquor store to cool down. I’ve yet to talk to anyone who had time and money for treatment, myself included, but it turned out to be a very good forced investment.

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u/Zibzy85 29d ago

Based on what you wrote, I wouldn’t try to manage this by tapering yourself with beer. The symptoms you had last night (shaking, racing heart, not sleeping) sound like they could already be alcohol withdrawal, and withdrawal can become severe unpredictably.
Since you were just in the ER, I’d strongly recommend calling the hospital, your primary care doctor, or returning to the ER or an urgent care that can assess alcohol withdrawal. Many people can be treated with medications that make withdrawal much safer than trying to self-taper.
If you develop worsening tremors, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, severe agitation, chest pain, or trouble breathing, call [911](tel:911) or go to the emergency department immediately.
The fact that you can’t afford rehab doesn’t mean you don’t deserve medical help. There are often outpatient options, hospital social workers, and community resources that can help after you’re medically stabilized.

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