How to Sober Up

Co-authored by Trudi Griffin, LPC, MS

Last Updated: April 8, 2021 References

Sobering up takes time. Whether it's giving your body time to break down alcohol after a night of partying or going through the longer process of quitting drinking, there are no easy tricks or methods to suddenly make you sober up. The well-known stories of a cold shower and hot cup of coffee will not help your body process the alcohol any quicker. Although the only real way to sober up is to wait for your body to deal with the alcohol, you can try a few things which might help.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Taking Steps to Sober Up

1
Stop drinking alcohol. If you need to sober up, the first thing to do, if you haven’t done it already, is to stop drinking. Each drink will take your body about an hour to metabolize, so until you stop putting more alcohol in your system, you have no chance of sobering up.^{[1]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} Simply put, the sooner you stop drinking, the sooner you will be able to sober up.
- If you are still out, but you decide you want to try and sober up, switch to water to help rehydrate yourself.
- If you start drinking water while you are still out, you may also lessen the effects of your forthcoming hangover.
2
Eat something. Eating that kebab on the way home will not have a significant effect on your attempts to sober up. Research has shown, however, that drinking alcohol when you have an empty stomach does result in the body taking up to 45% longer to clear alcohol from your system, than if you had eaten a meal beforehand.
- Some researchers think that the liver is helped in its task to digest and clear alcohol after eating, because more blood flows to the liver when you have eaten.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
- Keep in mind that eating before drinking will only delay the alcohol getting into your bloodstream, not actually stop it.
Advertisement
3
Have some fructose. Bats who eat fermented fruit can get drunk from the alcohol that is present in their food. Scientists, who study these bats, noted that the bats that ingest fructose after eating fermented fruit sober up faster than those that ingest glucose or sucrose-rich foods. While this doesn’t translate directly to humans, you can try to put together your own fructose snack to help you sober up.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Good sources of fructose are honey and fruits.
- Fresh fruit and dried fruit are both rich in fructose.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}
4
Take some vitamins. When you drink alcohol you deplete the levels of vital vitamins in your body. In particular your levels of magnesium, vitamin C, and vitamin B-12 are depleted by alcohol consumption. One way to tackle this, and attempt to sober up, is to replace those lost vitamins. The most effective way to do this would be through an IV drip, with the relevant cocktail of vitamins, although of course this is not a possibility for most people.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- More simply, you could take some vitamin tablets.
- You could consume food high in vitamins. For example, if you want to replenish your depleted vitamin C, you could eat a kiwi fruit or a grapefruit.
5
Consider a sobering shot. There are some products on the market which claim to make you sober up relatively quickly. Some of these are based on replenishing depleted vitamins, and giving you a boost of fructose. For example, fructose-rich honey is one of the key in these products. The effectiveness of these products is open to question, but you might find they help you sober up faster.^{[6]
X
Research source}
6
Recognize the signs of alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning can be fatal. If you suspect that you or someone you are with might have alcohol poisoning, call emergency medical responders. People with alcohol poisoning may show some or all of the following symptoms:
- Paleness or have a blue tinge to their skin.
- A body temperature that is too low.
- Confusion.
- Throwing up.
- Seizures.
- Slow or irregular breathing.
- Passing out. If someone has lost consciousness, his or her life is in danger.^{[7]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Understanding the Myths about Sobering Up

1
Recognize that sobering up takes time. Although there are a number of methods cited to help sober up you, for the most part it is simply a matter of waiting for your body to process the alcohol. The human body needs an hour to metabolize the alcohol in one drink. One drink is equivalent to:^{[8]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- A 12 oz beer.
- An 8-9 oz malt liquor drink.
- A 5 oz glass of wine.
- A 1.5 oz drink of hard liquor.
- If you are mixing drinks, they may be stronger than one serving of alcohol.
2
Learn what impacts the rate at which you process alcohol. There are a number of factors that influence the speed at which your body will process the alcohol you have drunk. Some of these you will have some influence over, others you won’t. The rate at which you process alcohol will vary depending on:
- Your health.
- Your size.
- Whether you drank on a full or empty stomach.
- The speed at which you drank.
- Your tolerance level.
- Whether you are also taking any drugs, including prescription or over-the-counter medications. Always follow any warning labels on medication and avoid mixing medications with alcohol.^{[9]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
3
Do not expect a cup of coffee to sober you up. Caffeine is a stimulant and will may make you less sleepy, but it won’t improve your coordination, reflexes, or counteract the alcohol.^{[10]
X
Research source}^{[11]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} Coffee will actually make you more dehydrated, and could worsen your hangover and further impede your decision-making.^{[12]
X
Trustworthy Source
National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source}
4
Recognize that a cold shower won’t work. You might think taking a cold shower, or repeatedly splashing your face with cool water, might help you sober up more quickly. These actions might wake you up and give you the feeling that you are more alert, but they won’t contribute to the rate at which your body processes the alcohol.
- Your body does not regulate temperature as well when you are drunk, so if you have a cold shower you may feel cold afterwards.
- A cold shower is a considerable shock to your body, especially when you have been drinking heavily.
- The shock of the cold water can cause you to lose consciousness, which is very dangerous in the shower.^{[13]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
5
Understand the dangers of losing consciousness. If you have been drinking very heavily, and are at risk of alcohol poisoning, you should be aware of the dangers of losing consciousness if you fall asleep. If you consumed more drinks shortly before falling asleep, your blood alcohol level will continue to rise as it is absorbed.^{[14]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- If you suspect you or a friend has alcohol poisoning, lie him or her on their side, in the recovery position.
- Do not lie down on your back.
- Do not leave someone alone if you think they are suffering from alcohol poisoning.^{[15]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  National Health Service (UK)
  Public healthcare system of the UK
  Go to source}
6
Do not try to walk it off. You might think taking a walk and getting some fresh air will help you sober up, but, much like a cold shower, the effects are more mental than physical. You may feel more awake or more composed, but your body will still be processing the alcohol at the same speed. If you go for a long walk and feel more sober afterwards, it has more to do with the time that has passed than the activity of walking itself.^{[16]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- If you are extremely drunk, your coordination and reflexes will be slow, which could put you at a higher risk for falling and injuring yourself.
- If you suspect someone has alcohol poisoning, do not try to walk them around. Lay them on their side in the recovery position.^{[17]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  National Health Service (UK)
  Public healthcare system of the UK
  Go to source}
7
Know that forcing yourself to vomit will not make you sober. If you are drunk and you think you can vomit out the alcohol and thus sober up quicker, think again. Once the alcohol has reached your small intestine, vomiting will not expel it. It might reduce the amount of alcohol in your stomach, but it won’t change the amount you have already absorbed. The amount you have absorbed is what you are trying to sober up from. Vomiting will not lower your blood alcohol level faster.
- Do not encourage somebody who is semi-conscious to vomit, as this could be dangerous.
- Vomit can cause choking and/or asphyxiation.^{[18]
  X
  Research source}

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Quitting Drinking

1
Enroll in a detox program. If you think you have a problem with alcohol and want to quit, the first thing to do is go and talk to your doctor. You can enroll in a detox program and begin on the road to sobriety. A doctor will help manage your withdrawal symptoms as your body goes through detoxification.
- It generally takes two to seven days from the time of your last drink.
- Withdrawal will likely be at its worst about two days into the process. If necessary, the doctor can give you a sedative to help you through it.
- Drink plenty of water and eat regular meals to keep your strength up.
- If you decide to detox at home, see a doctor for regular monitoring.^{[19]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}^{[20]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  National Health Service (UK)
  Public healthcare system of the UK
  Go to source}
2
Take medications to fight the addiction. Depending on your condition and circumstances, a doctor may decide to prescribe certain medication to help you fight your alcohol addiction. A doctor can prescribe the following medications for you:^{[21]
X
Trustworthy Source
National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source}
- Acamprosate (Campral) can help you stay sober by reducing the craving.
- Disulfiram (Antabuse) can help prevent relapse by making you feel sick if you drink. Drinking alcohol on this medication causes nausea, chest pain, throwing up, and dizziness.
- Naltrexone (Revia) prevents the positive effects of alcohol, making it less enjoyable to drink. It doesn’t make you sick. This medication is also available in an injectable form which can be taken once per month.^{[22]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
3
Find sources of social support. Battling an alcohol addiction is a serious undertaking, and you will most likely benefit from a strong social support network. There are many different options so you can find what works for you. Some people like to talk to friends and family, others find it more helpful to speak to those going through a similar experience. Some steps to consider include:
- Joining Alcoholics Anonymous.
- Attending a support group.
- Getting counselling or going to group therapy.
- Going to family counselling to get help repairing damaged relationships.
- Making new friends who don’t drink.^{[23]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}^{[24]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  National Health Service (UK)
  Public healthcare system of the UK
  Go to source}
4
Get treatment for other problems that might hinder your recovery. Alcohol abuse and dependency is often linked with other problems, such as depression and anxiety. To really try to get over your alcohol problems it will help you to try and deal with any other issues too. This may include medications, counselling, or both.^{[25]
X
Trustworthy Source
National Health Service (UK)
Public healthcare system of the UK
Go to source}^{[26]
X
Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- Speak to your doctor and ask for advice on what to do.
- Consider cognitive behavioral therapy to help you identify and deal with situations or feelings that trigger your drinking.
5
Avoid your triggers. Some situations, activities, and emotions can make you feel like drinking. These internal and external motivations to drink are called triggers.^{[27]
X
Research source} It is important to familiarize yourself with those situations and find ways to cope with them or to avoid them entirely. This may make it easier to prevent a relapse.
- If being around certain people makes you want to drink, then you may need to limit your time with these people or try to avoid them for a while. For example, if you have a friend who drinks heavily and encourages you to do the same, then you might want to cut down on the time you spend with this friend.
- If you find it hard to go to a bar and not have a drink, then you may want to avoid bars for a while. Try asking your friends and family to meet you for dinner somewhere that does not serve alcohol, or arrange to meet them for coffee or breakfast for a while.
- If you find that your desire to drink is stronger when you are feeling stressed, then you may benefit from learning some relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, or progressive muscle relaxation.