How To Stop Throwing Up After Drinking Alcohol - Healthline

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HealthlineSubscribeHow to Stop Throwing Up After Drinking Alcohol

Medically reviewed by Kelsey Nank, PA-C — Written by Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA — Updated on May 19, 2025

How to stop
Intentional vomiting
Causes
Medical attention
Takeaway

Staying hydrated, resting, and taking over-the-counter medication can help with nausea, vomiting, and other hangover symptoms. Severe illness could be a sign of alcohol poisoning, which requires immediate medical attention.

Throwing up is your body’s way of ridding itself of a toxin — in this case, alcohol. While vomiting may make you feel awful for a day or two, prolonged exposure to excess toxins have long-term effects.

That’s why it’s best to let your body do its thing while taking steps to prevent complications like dehydration.

Signs of alcohol poisoning

Alcohol poisoning is more intense than a hangover, and it usually happens much faster. Throwing up while still drinking or shortly after could be the result of alcohol poisoning.

Alcohol poisoning can also cause:

choking
confusion
clammy skin that’s cool to the touch
dozing off, even when trying to stay awake
irregular breathing, or gaps of more than 10 seconds between breaths
skin that looks pale or ashen, blue, or gray
slowed breathing, or fewer than 8 breaths per minute

If you see a person you think may be experiencing alcohol poisoning, try to keep them sitting up or put them in the recovery position. Alcohol poisoning affects the gag reflex, so vomiting can lead to choking.

Call your local emergency services and stay with them until help arrives. Try to keep them awake.

How to stop throwing up

Drinking small sips of clear liquids periodically can help if you’re feeling nauseous or keep throwing up. It can also help prevent dehydration from occurring.

To minimize nausea and other side effects, try:

Eat small amounts of bland food. Crackers and toast, for example, are unlikely to cause further irritation. Just remember to go slow. Small bites every so often can make a big difference.
Get plenty of rest. Do what you can to take it easy after drinking — particularly in excess — or developing a hangover. Sleeping it off can help you feel better.
Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. Stick to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin (Bayer) and ibuprofen (Advil). Taking the medication with small bites of food can help prevent stomach upset.

Why you shouldn’t make yourself throw up after a night of drinking

You’ll probably notice one suggestion that didn’t make the list: intentionally making yourself throw up after drinking.

While you may have a friend that swears by this approach, it’s a dangerous one. Making yourself throw up can put greater strain on your esophagus. You’re more likely to experience small tears that can damage the esophagus and potentially lead to bleeding.

If you feel like you’re going to vomit, it’s best to let it happen naturally. You’ll retch less and reduce your risk for additional health problems that can happen when you make yourself throw up.

Why drinking alcohol makes you throw up

While it doesn’t always feel like it, vomiting is one of your body’s protective reflexes against toxins.

Your body can’t keep up

When you drink alcohol, your body breaks it down into acetaldehyde, a chemical present in the body after alcohol consumption. Your liver neutralizes acetaldehyde with a substance it makes called glutathione.

If you drink too much too quickly, your liver doesn’t have time to make enough glutathione to process the alcohol.

Eventually, your body realizes the liver isn’t going to be able to keep up with how much acetaldehyde is present and gets rid of it through vomiting.

Alcohol irritates the stomach lining

In addition to the buildup of acetaldehyde, excess alcohol can irritate the stomach lining.

This causes a buildup of acid that makes you feel more nauseated.

Chronic alcohol exposure may cause gastritis

People who drink alcohol to excess on a regular basis are at increased risk for gastritis. Chronic alcohol exposure can weaken and erode the lining of your stomach.

People with alcohol-related gastritis may experience frequent stomach-related concerns, such as acid reflux, nausea, and ulcers.

When to speak with a doctor

There are times when throwing up after drinking turns from something you’ll get over to something you need to see a doctor for.

You should seek medical treatment if you:

are throwing up blood
are unable to keep any fluids or food down
have been continuously vomiting for more than 24 hours
have signs of dehydration, such as dizziness, dark urine, or inability to pee for some time

The bottom line

Usually, hangover symptoms like vomiting may go away within a day or two. If you do vomit after drinking, it’s best to let your stomach upset run its course. Taking steps to prevent dehydration can help prevent additional complications.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Alcohol metabolism. (n.d.).https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/alcohol-metabolism
Diarrhoea and vomiting. (n.d.).https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diarrhoea-and-vomiting/
Managing nausea and vomiting at home. (n.d.).https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/side-effects/eating-problems/nausea-and-vomiting/managing.html

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Medically reviewed by Kelsey Nank, PA-C — Written by Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA — Updated on May 19, 2025

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