I would like to reduce or stop my alcohol consumption. What advice would you give me to be successful and what are the withdrawal symptoms?

Question

Hello, I began to drink alcohol regularly a few years ago following some family and personal issues. Now, I feel ready to cut down and eventually stop drinking. This is the first time I try to quit and I want to do everything to be well prepared and succeed. What tools or advice would you give me?

Thi Lan Thi Duong · Accepted Answer

Hello, Girst of all, I want to congratulate you for your desire to stop drinking. The first thing I advise you is to establish your goal for alcohol consumption and then plan your strategy to reduce consumption of the following days to meet your goal. Besides the goals, you can also identify your reasons for wanting to stop drinking, the advantages and disadvantages of drinking or not drinking, in order to maintain your motivation throughout the process. You can use this alcohol withdrawal guide for inspiration. Mild withdrawal symptoms include nausea, tremors, anxiety. Moderate symptoms include visual or auditory hallucinations and seizures. The most serious and fatal symptom (especially if untreated) is delirium tremens (confusion, disorientation, fever). Note that a small portion of patients suffer from delirium tremens. To minimize withdrawal symptoms, it is safer to gradually taper off. I advise you to (consult this booklet for more details): Drink glasses of sparkling or flavored water between alcoholic drinks Space as long as possible between drinks Eating when drinking to slow down the alcohol absorption Finally, it is important to not do all this alone and to talk to your doctor or pharmacist who can accompany you. It should be noted that there are medical treatments to help you too. My pleasure,  Lan Thi Duong, pharmacy student (supervised by Alexandre Chagnon, pharmacist)