Sipping water, lying on your side, and eating something bland are the fastest ways to ease nausea while you’re drunk. There’s no instant cure, but a few straightforward steps can settle your stomach, keep you safe, and help your body process the alcohol more comfortably.
Why Alcohol Makes You Nauseous
Alcohol irritates your stomach lining directly, increasing acid production and inflaming the tissue. At the same time, your liver breaks alcohol down into a toxic byproduct that circulates through your bloodstream and triggers the nausea center in your brain. The more you drink, the more this byproduct builds up, and the worse the nausea gets. Vomiting is your body’s attempt to get rid of what it sees as a poison.
Alcohol also acts as a diuretic, pulling water and essential minerals out of your body faster than normal. Dropping levels of sodium, potassium, and magnesium can worsen nausea on their own. Low sodium alone is enough to cause vomiting and loss of appetite, and it’s the most common electrolyte imbalance in heavy drinkers.
Drink Water and Replace Electrolytes
Start sipping water slowly. Large gulps on a churning stomach can make things worse, so take small sips every few minutes. If you have a sports drink, broth, or coconut water, even better. These contain sodium and potassium that alcohol has been flushing out of your system. Pedialyte or similar oral rehydration solutions work well too.
Avoid coffee or energy drinks. Caffeine is another diuretic and can further dehydrate you, which tends to intensify nausea rather than relieve it.
Eat Something Bland
Bananas, plain toast, rice, and applesauce are gentle on an irritated stomach. They won’t directly fix your nausea, but they give your body nutrients and help stabilize your blood sugar, which alcohol tends to drop. Think of bland food as a way to get something into your system when you can’t keep much down. Crackers or plain pretzels also work and add a small amount of salt.
Don’t force yourself to eat a full meal. A few bites are enough. If even crackers seem like too much, that’s fine. Focus on fluids first and try food again in 20 to 30 minutes.
Try Ginger
Ginger is one of the most studied natural remedies for nausea of all kinds. Preliminary evidence suggests that ginger products can reduce hangover symptoms and improve how you feel overall. Most recommendations put the effective dose at 1 to 4 grams of ginger daily, with 4 grams as the upper limit.
The easiest options right now: ginger ale (check that it contains real ginger, not just flavoring), ginger tea, ginger chews, or a small piece of fresh ginger. Even just smelling fresh ginger can take the edge off for some people.
Use the Pressure Point on Your Wrist
There’s a well-known acupressure point on the inside of your wrist called P6 that can reduce mild nausea. To find it, place three fingers flat across the inside of your opposite wrist, starting just below the crease where your hand meets your arm. Right below where your third finger lands, feel for the groove between the two large tendons running down your wrist. Press firmly with your thumb. It shouldn’t hurt. Hold for a minute or two, then switch wrists.
This is the same pressure point that anti-nausea wristbands (Sea-Bands) target. If you have a pair, put them on. The effect is modest, but when you’re feeling miserable, any relief helps.
Over-the-Counter Stomach Relief
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) can coat your irritated stomach lining and reduce nausea. It’s generally safe for most adults, but there are a few things to know. It contains a compound related to aspirin, so avoid it if you have a bleeding disorder, kidney problems, or an active stomach ulcer. Don’t combine it with aspirin or other salicylate-containing medicines. And it’s not appropriate for anyone under 12.
Antacids like calcium carbonate (Tums) can also help by neutralizing the extra stomach acid that alcohol triggers. They won’t stop nausea caused by alcohol’s effects on your brain, but they can calm the burning, acidic feeling in your stomach.
One important warning: do not take acetaminophen (Tylenol) while you’re still drunk or heavily hungover. Your liver is already working hard to break down alcohol, and acetaminophen puts additional stress on it. The FDA specifically flags the combination of alcohol and acetaminophen as a liver damage risk, especially for anyone who has had three or more drinks. Ibuprofen (Advil) is a better option for headache, though it can also irritate your stomach, so take it with food or water.
Position Your Body Correctly
If you need to lie down, lie on your side, not on your back. This is critical. Lying on your back while intoxicated and nauseous creates a real choking risk if you vomit. The recovery position keeps your airway open and lets any fluid drain out of your mouth rather than back into your throat.
To get into the right position: lie on your side with your bottom arm extended in front of you. Bend your top knee forward so it rests on the ground or bed, which keeps you from rolling onto your stomach. Tilt your head slightly so your mouth faces downward. If you’re helping someone else who is drunk and nauseous, put them in this position and stay nearby.
Fresh air can also help. If you’re indoors, open a window or sit near one. A cool, well-ventilated room tends to calm nausea more than a stuffy, warm one.
What Not to Do
Don’t force yourself to throw up. Your body will vomit if it needs to, and forcing it can tear the lining of your esophagus or lead to more dehydration. Don’t drink more alcohol to “settle your stomach.” This just adds more of the substance that caused the problem. And don’t lie flat on your back or take a hot shower, both of which can cause dizziness, fainting, or make nausea worse.
When Nausea Becomes an Emergency
Normal drunk nausea is unpleasant but not dangerous. Alcohol poisoning is. If you or someone around you shows any of these signs, call 911 immediately:
- Confusion or inability to stay conscious
- Seizures
- Slow breathing, fewer than eight breaths per minute
- Irregular breathing, with gaps of 10 seconds or more between breaths
- Blue or gray skin, especially around the lips or fingertips
- Cold, clammy skin
- Continuous, uncontrollable vomiting
Alcohol poisoning can affect breathing, heart rate, and body temperature, and in some cases it leads to coma or death. You don’t need to see every symptom on the list to act. If something feels wrong, get help. It’s always better to call and not need it than to wait too long.