If you’ve had too much to drink, the most important things you can do right now are stop drinking, start sipping water, eat something if you can keep it down, and give your body time. Your liver clears roughly one standard drink per hour, and nothing speeds that up. The next few hours are about damage control and comfort while your body does the work.
Recognize When It’s an Emergency
Before anything else, rule out alcohol poisoning. This is different from being drunk. Alcohol poisoning happens when there’s enough alcohol in the bloodstream to start shutting down the brain’s control over breathing, heart rate, and body temperature. Call 911 if you or someone else shows any of these signs:
- Breathing problems: fewer than 8 breaths per minute, or gaps of 10 seconds or more between breaths
- Loss of consciousness: inability to wake up or stay awake
- Seizures
- Vomiting while unconscious or semiconscious
- Bluish or very pale skin, especially lips and fingertips
- Extremely low body temperature or clammy skin
One of the most dangerous things about severe intoxication is that it can suppress the gag reflex. Without that reflex, a person who passes out can choke on their own vomit. If someone is unconscious and you’re waiting for help, turn them on their side and place a pillow against the small of their back to keep them in that position. Make sure their head is angled so vomit can drain out rather than block their airway.
Why You Can’t Speed Up Sobriety
Your liver processes alcohol at a relatively fixed rate, averaging about 7 grams per hour for a typical adult. That’s roughly one standard drink (a 12-ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor) every 60 minutes. There’s a three- to four-fold difference between individuals based on genetics, body composition, sex, and drinking history, but the key point is the same for everyone: you can’t rush it.
Women typically reach higher blood alcohol levels than men from the same amount of alcohol, partly because of differences in body water content and how the stomach processes alcohol before it reaches the bloodstream. Whether you had food in your stomach also matters. Eating before or while drinking slows absorption because food delays how quickly alcohol moves from your stomach into your small intestine, where it’s absorbed fastest. If you drank on an empty stomach, you likely hit a higher peak faster.
Coffee won’t help. The CDC is clear on this: caffeine does not reduce alcohol’s effects on your body. It can make you feel more alert, which creates a false sense of being less impaired. Your coordination, reaction time, and judgment remain just as affected. Cold showers and exercise don’t change your blood alcohol level either.
Hydrate the Right Way
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning your kidneys flush out more water and electrolytes than usual while you’re drinking. This is a major reason you feel so rough afterward. The headache, dizziness, and fatigue are partly dehydration at work.
Start drinking water or an electrolyte drink now, but don’t chug it. Slow, steady sips are easier on a stomach that’s already irritated. Alternate a glass of water between any remaining alcoholic drinks if you’re still out. Before bed, drink at least a full glass of water and keep more at your bedside. Sports drinks or oral rehydration solutions can help replace lost sodium and potassium, which alcohol flushes out alongside water.
Eat Something, Even If You Don’t Want To
Alcohol disrupts your liver’s ability to produce glucose, which is your body’s primary fuel. Substances created during alcohol breakdown essentially block new glucose from being made, so your blood sugar can drop. This contributes to shakiness, weakness, irritability, and brain fog.
You don’t need a huge meal. Carbohydrate-rich foods are the fastest way to stabilize blood sugar. Good options include toast, crackers, a banana, cereal with milk, or a sandwich. If you can handle something more substantial, pairing carbs with protein and fat (like apple slices with peanut butter, or cheese and crackers) gives you steadier energy and helps your stomach settle. Eating before bed is especially worthwhile because your blood sugar can continue dropping while you sleep.
Managing the Headache Safely
If your head is pounding, reach for ibuprofen rather than acetaminophen (Tylenol). There’s a long-standing concern in medicine that combining acetaminophen with alcohol stresses the liver. While the clinical evidence on occasional, moderate use is more nuanced than the warnings suggest, the cautious move after a night of heavy drinking is to avoid adding any extra burden to your liver while it’s already working overtime processing alcohol. Ibuprofen can irritate the stomach, though, so take it with food and water rather than on an empty stomach.
Replenish Lost Nutrients
Alcohol interferes with your body’s ability to absorb, store, and use several B vitamins. Studies consistently show lower blood levels of vitamins B1, B2, and B6 in people after alcohol consumption, with the effects worsening when overall nutrition is already poor. These vitamins play roles in energy production and nervous system function, which is part of why you feel so depleted the day after drinking heavily.
A meal with eggs, whole grains, leafy greens, or lean meat covers most of what you need. A B-complex vitamin is a reasonable supplement if you’re not up for a full meal, though food is always better absorbed. Prioritize eating well for the next day or two as your body restocks what it lost.
What to Do Before Bed
The hours after you stop drinking are when your blood alcohol is still falling and your risk of vomiting is real. A few practical steps make the night safer and the morning less miserable:
- Sleep on your side. If you’re very intoxicated, sleeping on your back increases the risk of choking if you vomit. Place a pillow behind your back to keep yourself from rolling over.
- Keep water nearby. You’ll likely wake up thirsty. Having water within arm’s reach means you’ll actually drink it.
- Eat a small snack. Even a few crackers help buffer your blood sugar through the night.
- Set an alarm or ask someone to check on you. If you’re watching over a very drunk friend, check on them periodically. Someone who seems to be “sleeping it off” can still be in danger if they’re unresponsive.
The Next Morning
A hangover typically peaks when your blood alcohol level hits zero, which for a heavy night of drinking might be late the next morning or even into the afternoon. The headache, nausea, and fatigue are driven by dehydration, inflammation, and the toxic byproducts your liver creates while breaking down alcohol.
There’s no miracle cure, but you can meaningfully shorten your recovery. Drink water or electrolyte fluids throughout the day. Eat when you can, focusing on bland, carb-rich foods if your stomach is sensitive. Rest. Light activity like a short walk can help if you’re up for it, but don’t push through intense exercise while dehydrated.
Most hangover symptoms resolve within 24 hours. If you’re still vomiting after a full day, can’t keep any fluids down, notice blood in your vomit, or feel confused or disoriented, those are signs something more serious may be going on and worth getting medical attention for.