Medically Reviewed by Annamarie Coy, BA, ICPR, MATS
In this article
Alcohol and headaches are sometimes connected. Whether the effect is immediate or delayed, you may have a headache after drinking too much alcohol.
In most cases, alcohol-induced headaches resolve on their own. However, these headaches are inconvenient and painful, so it’s important to know how:
Over 3 million people use BetterHelp. Their services are:
Answer a few questions to get started
The impact of alcohol varies from by person. For example, some people can drink alcohol without appearing intoxicated or experiencing extreme side effects, while others cannot.
Several factors also influence alcohol’s effects on the body. These include:
Alcohol has a major impact on the brain and body. Consistent, heavy drinking often result in noticeable changes.
Here’s how alcohol impacts the brain and body:
Alcohol interferes with the communication pathways in the brain. It affects how the brain works and looks.
This interference can cause:
Chronic, long-term alcohol consumption can damage the heart. It can lead to cardiovascular diseases, such as:
Alcohol can significantly weaken the immune system. This makes you susceptible to diseases because your body loses the ability to fight off infections. As a result, you easily get sick.
The liver is the main organ where alcohol is metabolized. Consuming large amounts of alcohol harms the liver. It can sometimes lead to liver inflammation and other liver-related conditions, including:
Alcohol stimulates the pancreas to produce toxins that can cause pancreatitis. This condition causes blood vessels in the pancreas to swell and become inflamed. This affects digestion.
Ethanol, a chemical found in alcohol, is the primary cause of alcohol-related headaches. It is found in alcoholic drinks such as beer, wine, and liquor and can trigger migraine headaches.
Alcohol can cause headaches in different ways:
If you suffer from migraines, avoid drinking alcohol or drink in moderation.
They’ll connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor
Find a TherapistAnswer a few questions to get started
The severity of your headache depends on the type of alcoholic drink you consume. Drinks with congeners will typically result in the most severe headaches. The more congeners a drink has, the more severe your headache will be.
Congeners are the byproducts of the fermentation process. Drinks with high amounts of congeners include:
Sugary mixers and tropical drinks can also cause you to drink too much. Sweeteners mask their flavors, so it’s easier to keep drinking them. This alcohol and sugar combo will make you feel worse the following day.
Lastly, drinking champagne can also lead to bad headaches. Champagne is pumped with carbon dioxide to produce bubbles. The carbon dioxide content in champagne causes quick alcohol absorption into the bloodstream.
The short-term effects of alcohol usually manifest in the form of a hangover.
Hangover symptoms include:
The human body breaks down alcohol at a constant rate. However, some people may feel the effects longer than others. This is because blood alcohol concentrations are not the same for everyone.
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) refers to the amount of alcohol in your blood in relation to the amount of water in your blood. Two people can have the same blood alcohol levels, but their BAC will differ.
Several factors can affect your blood alcohol concentration and how your body will react to alcohol. These include:
Additionally, it is important to know the alcohol content of the beverage you’re drinking. This will determine how long alcohol will be metabolized in your body and how long the effects will last.
Here is a general estimate of how long some alcoholic drinks are broken down or metabolized in the body:
Type of Alcoholic Drink | Average Time to Metabolize |
---|---|
A full glass of wine | 3 hours |
A pint of beer | 2 hours |
A small shot of liquor | 1 hour |
A few drinks | Several hours |
BetterHelp offers affordable mental health care via phone, video, or live-chat.
Find a TherapistAnswer a few questions to get started
When it comes to the onset of headaches after drinking alcohol, there is no standard time. Some people experience delayed alcohol-induced headaches, while others get immediate headaches from drinking alcohol.
If you’re wondering why you have an alcohol headache even just after one drink, it may be because your body metabolizes alcohol differently. It may also help to ask yourself the following questions:
Furthermore, remember that your weight, age, and body composition also affect alcohol metabolism. The older you are, the harder it is for your body to metabolize alcohol.
Headaches are an unpleasant result of alcohol intoxication. They are one of the symptoms of an unpleasant hangover.
While there are home remedies and treatments for a hangover headache, prevention is always better than trying to cure it. However, if you can’t avoid alcohol, remember to drink in moderation.
Here are some helpful tips for preventing headaches after drinking alcohol:
When you’ve had too much fun the night before and overindulgence has caught up with you, there are treatments and home remedies for a hangover headache.
The following tips will help you find relief for a hangover headache:
Ibuprofen and aspirin can help relieve headaches and pains, but you should avoid acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is toxic to the liver, compounding alcohol’s effect on the organ.
In this article