Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
Medically Reviewed by Dr P. E. Pancoast, MD
Medically Reviewed by Dr P. E. Pancoast, MD
In this article
You'll likely feel nauseous or experience vomiting if you drink too much. This is because it takes work for our bodies to break down alcohol.
An enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase works to break down alcohol as you consume it. First, it breaks alcohol down to acetaldehyde and then to acetic acid. It will be harder for your body to metabolize alcohol if you drink too much too quickly.
You'll start to get drunk when you drink faster than your body can break down alcohol. Even if you do not have an alcohol addiction, excessive drinking is dangerous and life-threatening.
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When the acetaldehyde levels are too high, your liver can’t process any more alcohol. Throwing up is your body’s way of getting rid of a toxin. When you drink too much, your body will start to reject alcohol.
There are five reasons why you may be throwing up after drinking:
Hangover symptoms vary from person to person depending on several factors:
Some common hangover symptoms include:
It’s important to rehydrate your body if you are hungover. Drinking water or energy drinks is important to replenish the salts, electrolytes, and potassium you've lost after drinking. You can also eat food and practice relaxation techniques to help alleviate symptoms.
Alcohol poisoning is a severe form of alcohol intoxication that happens if you drink too much alcohol. Binge drinking elevates blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08 g/dL or above.
The more drinks you consume in a shorter period, the higher and faster your BAC level will rise. As it does, you increase your chances of getting alcohol poisoning.
Typically, alcohol intoxication or poisoning symptoms include the following:
If you suspect someone has alcohol poisoning, call for medical help immediately. Alcohol poisoning can result in death if left untreated.
Alcohol gastritis refers to inflammation of the stomach lining due to alcohol consumption. Alcohol can disrupt the mucus that covers the stomach lining, which causes stomach acid to disrupt surrounding cells. This can cause you to bleed and may make you throw up.
Alcohol intolerance is genetic. It is caused by a deficiency of alcohol dehydrogenase, the liver enzymes responsible for breaking down toxins in alcohol.
When your liver can’t metabolize these toxins, they remain in your bloodstream longer than usual. This can make you feel sick and throw up from drinking.
Alcoholic ketoacidosis (AKA), also known as alcoholic ketosis or alcoholic acidosis, is a metabolic complication of alcohol use and starvation. AKA happens from heavy drinking on an empty stomach. However, it can lead to vomiting or worse, including sudden death.
You can't stop yourself from throwing up after drinking; it's your body's natural response to excess alcohol. Rather than making yourself stop throwing up, consider ways to help you feel better while your body rids itself of alcohol.
Some key ways to reduce vomiting and nausea include:
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Alcohol is a stomach irritant, so it’s normal to feel nauseous after drinking it. Throwing up can reduce stomach pain and nausea.
Sometimes, your body can’t absorb the alcohol you’re drinking quickly enough. In this case, vomiting is a natural response. However, the risks of throwing up far outweigh the benefits.
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Alcohol depresses the nerves that control involuntary actions, so drinking too much can impair functions such as breathing and gagging. If it does, you can choke on your vomit, which could lead to death by asphyxiation (unable to breathe), especially if you are unconscious.
Once your BAC level hits about .25 or above, you may reach asphyxiation. Alcohol in your stomach and intestine continues to enter your bloodstream and circulate through your body, so “sleeping it off” isn’t always a safe bet.
Other risks and side effects of throwing up include:
When you throw up, stomach acids come up the esophagus, damaging it over time. Alcohol causes esophagitis when the lower esophageal sphincter muscle is relaxed, allowing acid to come up from your stomach.
Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you urinate often. If you don’t drink enough water, alcohol can easily dehydrate you.
Drinking excessively and throwing up can negatively affect your electrolyte balance, worsening metabolic issues.
Excessively throwing up can cause tooth damage due to your stomach acid’s toxicity. Stomach acids are corrosive, which means they wear away at the enamel of teeth.
There could be a few reasons you throw up blood after drinking alcohol. These include:
You should seek emergency medical attention if you or someone you know is throwing up blood after drinking. Vomiting blood could be a sign of a more serious health concern.
Throwing up after drinking is not necessarily a sign of a problem. However, you should seek professional help if it's a frequent occurrence or a result of problem drinking.
You should also seek help if you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Quitting drinking isn’t necessarily easy to do on one’s own. Many people experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms, which can be dangerous.
The most dangerous alcohol withdrawal symptoms happen to about one out of every 20 people. This condition is known as delirium tremens (DTs). It’s a rapid onset of symptoms like:
Alcohol use addiction can lead to withdrawal and poisoning. This is why seeking medical assistance for AUD is important.
Available treatment options for alcohol use disorders include:
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