How To Not Get Sick When Drinking

Download Article

After a hectic night out, the alcohol you consumed may have left you feeling nauseated and on the verge of tossing your cookies. This could be caused by over drinking, dehydration, or it could be a signal from your body to pump your brakes on the party. Whenever you start feeling sick, you should take measures to keep your upset stomach from becoming an external issue.

1
Drink water throughout your alcohol excursion. If you're prone to vomiting, you might want to alternate each alcoholic beverage with a glass of water during the night. In the event you get very drunk and perhaps a little nauseous, switch entirely to water. Drink water steadily, but never chug or drink water to excess, as this can upset your stomach.
- Inexperienced drinkers sometimes drink too much water out of fear of becoming dehydrated. Drink water throughout the night, but not to uncomfortable excess.
2
Eat something beforehand. Alcohol filters quickly into blood from the stomach.^[1] If you don't have food in your stomach, the alcohol will absorb into your blood intoxicating you rapidly, which could leave your world spinning and your stomach heaving. A little food in your tummy can be the difference between a night on the town and vomit city.
- Food high in fat content, like most bar food, takes a considerable time to digest in your stomach, making it the perfect choice for the start of your night out.^[2]
- Healthy pre-drinking foods include: nuts, avocados, and seeds.^[3]
3

Use over the counter medicine. It is important to use a remedy that agrees with your system, so if chalky antacids don't usually calm your upset stomach, popping one of these might not be the best solution. If you have a default over the counter medicine you use for upset stomachs or nausea, take it preemptively when you begin feeling queasy.^[4]
4

Restore your potassium. One of the biggest causes of both hangover and drinking related nausea is dehydration.^[5] Dehydration occurs when your body either doesn't have enough water in its system or else can't hold onto water because it doesn't have the right balance of electrolytes.^[6] As an important electrolyte, you might help your body retain water by eating a food high in potassium, like a banana.
5

Drink electrolyte restoring drinks. But be careful when considering a sports drink, as most sports drinks have modified formulas loaded with sugar, which are more palatable to the general population. These sugary drinks, however, could lead to more dehydration.^[7]
6

Consume ginger. Plenty of studies agree that ginger has powerful anti-nausea properties that you can enjoy when drinking ginger tea or ginger soda.^[8] You can add powdered ginger to food or drink, chew on a piece of raw ginger, or eat a ginger candy to enjoy ginger's stomach soothing influence.^[9]
7
Try fennel seeds. These have been found to aid digestion and lessen the effects of nausea. One tablespoon of crushed fennel seeds stepped in water for 10 minutes will create a sour stomach easing brew.
- Chewing a teaspoon of fennel seeds, while maybe not the most appealing option, might also save you from throwing up.

1
Know your limit. This often is a matter of trial and error, however make sure you learn from the errors. Generally, your limit will be linked to your weight and gender. Women, being generally smaller, weighing less, and having a naturally higher fat content, have a natural handicap when drinking alcohol.^[10] Generally, moderate (and likely nausea free) drinking entails:
- Men
  - 100 - 149 lbs: 1 - 2 drinks per hour
  - 150 - 200+ lbs: 2 - 3 drinks per hour
- Women
  - 90 - 100 lbs: 1 drink per hour
  - 101 - 180 lbs: 1 - 2 drinks per hour
  - 181 - 200+ lbs: 2 - 3 drinks per hour
2
Stop drinking when you've reached your limit. This is harder than it sounds, especially when friends are encouraging you to have another and your inhibitions are lowered by the alcohol you've already had.
- A good defense is to say, "If I have another I'll be sick." This is especially useful if you're talking to the person that lives wherever you're drinking.
3

Get some fresh air. Cooling yourself off is a big part of feeling better. Parties tend to get hot, and going outside will relieve you of this oppressive, potentially vomit-inducing atmosphere.^[11] As an added bonus, if you do vomit it won't be while you're surrounded by people, and throwing up outside requires less involved clean up.
4

Listen to your body. If you get close to vomiting, if you heave or gag, the best policy to ensure you do not vomit is to call it quits drinking for the night. Especially after you vomit, even if you feel much better, drinking more could lead to more vomiting and potentially something more serious, like alcohol poisoning.
5
Apply accupressure to your wrist. Though not definitively proven to help with nausea, most doctors don't see any harm in using accupressure to receive relief. Find the Neiguan (P-6) pressure point on your inner arm. Position your hand so that your palm is facing upwards. Place your middle three fingers across the wrist starting where the wrist meets your hand. The outside of the finger closest your body should mark this pressure point P-6. Now you can use your thumb to press this point, moving in a circular motion for a short period of time.^[12]
- You might gain additional relief by repeating this process on your other wrist.
6

Avoid excess motion. It may offer you relief if you rest in a sitting or lying on your left side, in a propped up position.^[13] Activity may worsen nausea and can even cause vomiting.

Add New Question

Question

What if I vomit blood?

You should see your doctor.
Question

What if dizziness is caused by the body sensing poison in the body and signaling the inner ear?

Sit down. Breathe deeply. Try to focus on one specific location on the ground. Do not close your eyes, as this may increase nausea.
Question

Is it embarrassing to throw up in front of a lot of people at a party?

It depends on who is at the party and how you feel about it. Some people will find it embarrassing, others won't. If you're very drunk, you probably won't care.
Question

Why should someone see a doctor if they are vomiting blood?

Venatrixx

Community Answer

If you vomit blood, it means that you have internal bleeding, which can be very dangerous.
Question

How long will I feel sick from drinking too much?

Tom De Backer

Top Answerer

Teens and tweens usually recover from alcohol poisoning after a good night's sleep, i.e. in 24 hours. The older you get, the longer it takes. I'm 37, and though I never get so drunk that I throw up, I know it can take me through Sunday to fully recover if I drink too much on Friday night.
Question

What should I do if I am farting blood?

You should consult your doctor about this immediately, as it may be very dangerous.
Question

What if I have to vomit and someone's occupying the restroom?

You can either try to hold it in, barge into the bathroom, try to find another bathroom or throw up into a nearby sink/bin/plastic bag.
Question

How do I hold in vomit?

It is not recommended to hold in your vomit. You should let it out, so that you can start to feel better and get the toxins out of your system.
Question

Why can't people just be smart and not get drunk in the first place?

Tom De Backer

Top Answerer

When you feel hungry, you eat food. But it takes about 20 minutes between the food passing your lips and the feeling of hunger to subside. So anything you ate in those 20 minutes will continue making you feel full. Likewise, the first drink hits only after a while, and if drink four makes you drunk, you can think "Uh oh, I had two more after that." All six will come crashing in on you, and there's nothing much you can do at that point. It takes practice and moderation. Finally, it's fun to get (lightly) drunk sometimes; it also builds trust in a friendship, though there are other ways. But life can require some sedation sometimes.
Question

What if I feel sick, but not actually physically sick?

Tom De Backer

Top Answerer

Alcohol affects everyone differently, at different times. There's no cures, only time, sleep and rehydration. If you feel sick, there's nothing for it but to stop drinking, go to bed and sleep it off.

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

If you do vomit, drink lots of water. If you end up vomiting again it's way better to vomit water than dry heave.
Avoid drinks that upset your stomach, whether it be a shot of tequila, or something worse like a cement mixer or a prairie fire. Have a few of these and you can end up nearly sober and still vomiting.
Variety can be dangerous when drinking. It's easy to lose track of drink strength when you change your drink every time. Sticking to one kind of alcohol helps many keep from drinking too much.
If you're feeling very nauseous, be a good guest and go somewhere you won't make a mess. Toilets are a good place, but at big parties these will frequently busy. A sink with a garbage disposal or a place outside are good backups.
If you're at party where people are playing drinking games, play before you're very drunk. Drinking games encourage rapid drinking, which is easier to handle when sober. If you join a game already wasted, it's very likely you'll end up vomiting.
When reaching a high level of intoxication, the room might begin to spin around you. Different people have different solutions to handle this unpleasantness. Some argue keeping your eyes open, or getting up and doing something, but by putting your head so that it's hanging downwards, perhaps leaning over the edge of something, you will negate the internal cause of the spins.^[14] Another option that may help is covering one eye and take deep breaths.

Always exercise proper caution while drinking, and never drink and drive.
Vomiting is your body's defense mechanism from you consuming too much of a dangerous material. Listen to your body.

About This Article

Article SummaryX

To not throw up when you're drunk, try to eat something before you start drinking, which will help absorb the alcohol. While you're drinking, have a glass of water for every alcoholic drink you consume to help flush out the toxins and keep you hydrated. If you start feeling nauseous, stop drinking alcohol, since continuing to drink will only make you feel worse. Sit down, if you can, as dancing or moving around a lot can make you vomit when you're feeling sick. You can also head outside or stand by a window to get some fresh air, which will help you feel better. For more tips, including how to combat nausea by consuming ginger, read on!

Did this summary help you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,378,232 times.

Did this article help you?