Weaning off alcohol or going cold turkey can increase anxiety and stress due to elevated cortisol levels. — Whalespan
Weaning off alcohol or going cold turkey can increase anxiety and stress due to elevated cortisol levels.
⚠ High risk
The headline is broadly defensible, but the qualifications matter. Effect sizes vary by population, the strongest claims rest on shorter trials, and credible voices push back on how it's typically framed.
◐PARTIALLYSUPPORTED
⚠
High-risk intervention — consult a physician before acting.Drug-drug interactions, dose-dependence, and screening contraindications apply.
“So for some people, it might even just be helpful to realize that as you try and wean yourself off alcohol or maybe you even go cold turkey, that increased anxiety and feelings of stress should be expected. And in that case, I would point you to an episode that we did on master stress.”