After throwing up from drinking, your immediate priorities are staying hydrated, protecting your teeth, and positioning yourself safely. Vomiting is your body’s defense against a toxic buildup of acetaldehyde, a byproduct your liver produces when it breaks down alcohol. Once you’ve been sick, the worst of that toxic load is out, but your body still needs help recovering.
Rinse Your Mouth, but Don’t Brush
Your first instinct after vomiting might be to grab a toothbrush. Resist it. Stomach acid softens your tooth enamel, and brushing within an hour of vomiting grinds that acid into the weakened surface, causing real damage. Instead, rinse your mouth with plain water or a baking soda solution (about half a teaspoon in a glass of water) to neutralize the acid. Spit, don’t swallow. Wait at least 30 to 60 minutes before brushing.
Start Rehydrating Slowly
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it pulls water out of your body, and vomiting accelerates that fluid loss. But chugging water right after throwing up will likely trigger more nausea. Start with one to two small sips every five minutes. If that stays down, gradually increase the amount. If nausea returns, pause for 20 to 30 minutes and start again.
Plain water works, but replacing lost electrolytes speeds recovery. Pedialyte is ideal because its sugar-to-salt ratio is designed for rehydration. Sports drinks work too, though they contain more sugar than necessary. Diluting them half and half with water brings the balance closer to what your body needs. Clear broth, weak decaffeinated tea, and popsicles are also good early options.
You can also make a simple rehydration solution at home: mix half a teaspoon of salt and six level teaspoons of sugar into one liter (about 33 ounces) of water. Getting these proportions right matters, so measure carefully rather than eyeballing it.
Lie on Your Side, Not Your Back
If you’re still feeling drunk or drowsy, never lie flat on your back. If you vomit again while sleeping on your back, you can choke. The recovery position keeps your airway clear: lie on your side with your top knee bent forward for stability, and tilt your head slightly up so your mouth faces downward. If you’re helping someone else, raise the arm closest to you above their head, gently roll them toward you, and tuck their hand under their cheek to keep their head tilted. Check on them regularly.
Ease Back Into Eating
Don’t force food while you’re still nauseous. Once the vomiting has stopped and you can keep liquids down for 20 to 30 minutes, try small amounts of bland, carb-heavy foods. The classic BRAT approach (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) exists for exactly this situation. These foods are easy to digest and gentle on an irritated stomach lining.
Skip greasy or heavy meals, even if comfort food sounds appealing. A stressed stomach will struggle with fat-heavy foods and may rebel again. Coffee is also worth avoiding. It’s acidic, which can worsen stomach irritation, and it’s another diuretic that will pull more water from your already-dehydrated body. And the old “hair of the dog” idea of drinking more alcohol the next morning is counterproductive. It delays your recovery and adds to the toxic load your liver is still working through.
Be Careful With Pain Relievers
A headache after drinking and vomiting is almost inevitable, but reaching for the wrong painkiller can cause serious problems. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is processed by your liver, and your liver is already working overtime to clear alcohol from your system. Combining the two depletes a protective compound your liver relies on, raising the risk of liver damage. Acetaminophen toxicity accounts for nearly half of acute liver failure cases in North America. If you drink regularly or heavily, keep daily doses under 2,000 mg and use it only occasionally.
Anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) are generally safer for your liver in this situation, but they carry their own risk. Both alcohol and these medications irritate the stomach lining, so taking them after a night of vomiting can worsen nausea or, in more serious cases, contribute to stomach bleeding. If your stomach is still raw, it may be best to wait until you’ve eaten something bland before taking anything.
Signs That Need Emergency Attention
Most alcohol-related vomiting, while miserable, resolves on its own. But certain signs point to alcohol overdose, which is a medical emergency. Call 911 if you or someone else shows any of these:
- Breathing problems: fewer than 8 breaths per minute, or gaps of 10 seconds or more between breaths
- Loss of consciousness: difficulty staying awake, or inability to be woken up
- Seizures
- Mental confusion or stupor beyond typical drunkenness
- Skin changes: clammy skin, bluish tint, or extreme paleness
- No gag reflex: if the person doesn’t respond when something touches the back of their throat, they cannot protect themselves from choking on vomit
- Blood in vomit: bright red or dark, coffee-ground-like material suggests internal bleeding
A person’s blood alcohol level can keep rising even after they stop drinking, because alcohol in the stomach continues to be absorbed. Someone who seems “just drunk” can deteriorate quickly. Don’t assume they’ll sleep it off. If you’re unsure, err on the side of calling for help.
What Recovery Looks Like
For a typical episode, the timeline is roughly this: nausea fades within a few hours, and you should be able to tolerate bland food within 4 to 6 hours after vomiting stops. Full hydration takes longer, often 12 to 24 hours of steady fluid intake. Headache, fatigue, and general fogginess can linger into the next day as your body finishes clearing acetaldehyde and restoring its fluid balance.
Rest is the most underrated part of recovery. Sleep gives your liver uninterrupted time to process what’s left of the alcohol and its byproducts. If you can keep water down and get a few hours of sleep on your side, you’ll feel meaningfully better when you wake up. The combination of slow rehydration, bland food when you’re ready, and rest handles the vast majority of post-vomiting recovery without anything more complicated.