Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It Causes DehydrationAlcohol’s Other EffectsIf DehydratedCounteracting DehydrationOther Dehydration Causes
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Causes Dehydration
Alcohol’s Other Effects
If Dehydrated
Counteracting Dehydration
Other Dehydration Causes
When you drink alcohol, you are adding fluid to your body, but the chemical properties of alcoholic drinks can have unintended effects on your body. Alcohol can trigger diuresis (increased urine output), leading to dehydration and other bodily imbalances, all of which can contribute to hangover symptoms.
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Why Does Alcohol Cause Dehydration?
Alcohol Acts as a Diuretic
Alcohol Alters Electrolytes
You Are Drinking on an Empty Stomach
Any foods or fluids you consume before drinking alcohol help to dilute it, so when you drink alcohol on an empty stomach, alcohol’s effects are more potent. You may feel the effects of the alcohol sooner, but it can also amplify other effects, including dehydration.
Drinking on an empty stomach can cause other long-term damage, particularly to theliver. Your liver is responsible for metabolizing alcohol, andheavy drinkingover long periods can lead to irreversible damage.
Alcohol Builds Up in Your Bloodstream
As you drink alcohol, it accumulates in your body—especially if you drink large amounts at a fast pace. The higher your blood alcohol level is, the more you will notice its effects.
Below are examples of functional changes you might notice at different levels of intoxication.
Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)The legal blood alcohol concentration limit in the United States is 0.08%. It’s not safe to consume any alcohol and drive, but at this level, driving a vehicle is considered unsafe and illegal, and driving while intoxicated could lead to fines and jail time.
Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
The legal blood alcohol concentration limit in the United States is 0.08%. It’s not safe to consume any alcohol and drive, but at this level, driving a vehicle is considered unsafe and illegal, and driving while intoxicated could lead to fines and jail time.
A healthy liver can process about one drink per hour. Drinking more than that—especially with an already damaged liver—can cause alcohol levels to build.
When this happens, the effects of alcohol increase. There is no “safe” level of alcohol in your bloodstream, but there is evidence that side effects increase alongside BAC.
In addition to changes in liver function that can alter your metabolism, alcohol also has effects on other parts of your gut. Less than 10% of the alcohol you drink leaves your body as urine or sweat. The other 90% is absorbed through your digestive system and can lead to issues like:
Alcohol’s Components Are Flushed From the Body
You may experience increased urination, sweating, and other means of bodily waste disposal when you drink alcohol. However, when your body works to eliminate alcohol from your system through these processes, other crucial substances, like water and essential nutrients, are removed, too. You can experience water and nutrient depletion, leading to unwanted symptoms such asdehydration.
How Does Alcohol Detection Work in a Urine Test?
What Does Alcohol Do to Your Body?
Alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, a toxic substance. Many people consume alcohol for its psychoactive effects. Euphoria, relaxation, and other physical and mental changes are the result of alcohol’s impact on your central nervous system.
In addition to the euphoria and relaxation associated with alcohol consumption, alcohol’s toxic effects can produceunwanted problemsin almost every area of the body. Dehydration is one of these effects, and it alone can have a domino effect on other body systems. For example, severe dehydration—either from alcohol or another cause—can lead to problems such as:
What to Do If You Are Dehydrated
In severe cases of dehydration, drinking water alone may be insufficient. If you are dehydrated to the point that you are experiencing symptoms like weakness or loss of consciousness, you may need intravenous (IV) fluids administered in a healthcare setting.
If you stop making urine, your urine is very dark, or you have symptoms that are bad enough to impact your normal functions, go to an urgent care or emergency room for treatment and fluid replacement.
How to Counteract Alcohol-Induced Dehydration
After consuming a lot of alcohol—and experiencing thedehydrationthat comes with it—it’s very possible that you experience a post-alcohol disorder known as a hangover.
A hangover is a collection of symptoms that you experience as a result of the effects alcohol has on your body. Dehydration, toxic chemicals, fluid and electrolyte imbalances, and more can all contribute to the development of a hangover.
Drinking water alongside alcohol, eating before you start drinking, and drinking water and solute, especially protein, after consuming alcohol can help lessen these effects, but it will not prevent them entirely.
Other Possible Causes of Dehydration
Drinking alcohol is not the only thing that can causedehydration. It can result from factors such as the following:
Summary
Dehydration can happen for many reasons, including alcohol consumption. Alcohol can cause increased urination, increased heart rate or body heat, vomiting, and other issues that can increase dehydration. Avoiding alcohol is the best way to prevent this problem, but if you do drink alcohol, be sure to also drink extra water with solutes such as protein.
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sailer CO, Refardt J, Bissig S, et al.Effects of alcohol consumption on copeptin levels and sodium-water homeostasis.Renal Physiology. 2020. doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00458.2019.National Institutes of Health.Diuresis.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Alcohol’s effect on health: hangovers.Cuzzo B, Padala SA, Lappin SL.Physiology, vasopressin.StatPearls. August 2023. PMID: 30252325.Lewis III, JL.Overview of sodium’s role in the body.Merck Manuals. 2023.Baj J, Flieger W, Teresiński G, Buszewicz G, Sitarz R, Forma A, Karakuła K, Maciejewski R.Magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, and chromium levels in alcohol use disorder: a review.Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020; 9(6):1901. doi:10.3390/jcm9061901Ali Samjo S, Abbas Z, Asim M, Tahir K.The pattern of alcohol consumption and the severity of alcohol-related liver disease in patients visiting the liver clinic.Cureus. March 2020;12(3):e7251. doi:10.7759/cureus.7251Alcohol.org.Blood alcohol concentration levels and how they affect the body.Hyun J, Han J, Lee C, Yoon M, Jung Y.Pathophysiological aspects of alcohol metabolism in the liver.International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(11):5717. doi:10.3390/ijms22115717World Health Organization.Alcohol.National Institutes of Health.Hydrating for health: why drinking water is so important.Taghavi S, Nassar Ak, Askari R.Hypovolemic shock.StatPearls. January 2024.Harvard Health Publishing.Symptoms of dehydration: what they are and what to do if you experience them.American Red Cross.Dehydration.Cedars-Sinai.The science of hangovers.MedlinePlus.Dehydration.
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sailer CO, Refardt J, Bissig S, et al.Effects of alcohol consumption on copeptin levels and sodium-water homeostasis.Renal Physiology. 2020. doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00458.2019.National Institutes of Health.Diuresis.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Alcohol’s effect on health: hangovers.Cuzzo B, Padala SA, Lappin SL.Physiology, vasopressin.StatPearls. August 2023. PMID: 30252325.Lewis III, JL.Overview of sodium’s role in the body.Merck Manuals. 2023.Baj J, Flieger W, Teresiński G, Buszewicz G, Sitarz R, Forma A, Karakuła K, Maciejewski R.Magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, and chromium levels in alcohol use disorder: a review.Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020; 9(6):1901. doi:10.3390/jcm9061901Ali Samjo S, Abbas Z, Asim M, Tahir K.The pattern of alcohol consumption and the severity of alcohol-related liver disease in patients visiting the liver clinic.Cureus. March 2020;12(3):e7251. doi:10.7759/cureus.7251Alcohol.org.Blood alcohol concentration levels and how they affect the body.Hyun J, Han J, Lee C, Yoon M, Jung Y.Pathophysiological aspects of alcohol metabolism in the liver.International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(11):5717. doi:10.3390/ijms22115717World Health Organization.Alcohol.National Institutes of Health.Hydrating for health: why drinking water is so important.Taghavi S, Nassar Ak, Askari R.Hypovolemic shock.StatPearls. January 2024.Harvard Health Publishing.Symptoms of dehydration: what they are and what to do if you experience them.American Red Cross.Dehydration.Cedars-Sinai.The science of hangovers.MedlinePlus.Dehydration.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Sailer CO, Refardt J, Bissig S, et al.Effects of alcohol consumption on copeptin levels and sodium-water homeostasis.Renal Physiology. 2020. doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00458.2019.National Institutes of Health.Diuresis.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.Alcohol’s effect on health: hangovers.Cuzzo B, Padala SA, Lappin SL.Physiology, vasopressin.StatPearls. August 2023. PMID: 30252325.Lewis III, JL.Overview of sodium’s role in the body.Merck Manuals. 2023.Baj J, Flieger W, Teresiński G, Buszewicz G, Sitarz R, Forma A, Karakuła K, Maciejewski R.Magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, and chromium levels in alcohol use disorder: a review.Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020; 9(6):1901. doi:10.3390/jcm9061901Ali Samjo S, Abbas Z, Asim M, Tahir K.The pattern of alcohol consumption and the severity of alcohol-related liver disease in patients visiting the liver clinic.Cureus. March 2020;12(3):e7251. doi:10.7759/cureus.7251Alcohol.org.Blood alcohol concentration levels and how they affect the body.Hyun J, Han J, Lee C, Yoon M, Jung Y.Pathophysiological aspects of alcohol metabolism in the liver.International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2021; 22(11):5717. doi:10.3390/ijms22115717World Health Organization.Alcohol.National Institutes of Health.Hydrating for health: why drinking water is so important.Taghavi S, Nassar Ak, Askari R.Hypovolemic shock.StatPearls. January 2024.Harvard Health Publishing.Symptoms of dehydration: what they are and what to do if you experience them.American Red Cross.Dehydration.Cedars-Sinai.The science of hangovers.MedlinePlus.Dehydration.
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Baj J, Flieger W, Teresiński G, Buszewicz G, Sitarz R, Forma A, Karakuła K, Maciejewski R.Magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, selenium, zinc, and chromium levels in alcohol use disorder: a review.Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020; 9(6):1901. doi:10.3390/jcm9061901
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Alcohol.org.Blood alcohol concentration levels and how they affect the body.
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National Institutes of Health.Hydrating for health: why drinking water is so important.
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American Red Cross.Dehydration.
Cedars-Sinai.The science of hangovers.
MedlinePlus.Dehydration.
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