How To Get Rid of Alcoholic Breath: 11 Effective Ways

Imagine talking to someone who has strong alcoholic breath oozing out of them. Their presence would make you feel uncomfortable, right? Having alcohol breath or booze breath can be quite embarrassing, especially in public places. Therefore, no wonder measures on how to get rid of alcohol breath instantly are searched excessively online!

The smell of alcohol breath usually comes from the stomach when a person is into heavy drinking. It is also noticeable by the strong odor produced by the skin pores¹.

1. How To Get Rid Of Alcoholic Breath

Humans are more into trying quick solutions than fixing them permanently, so questions are asked on how to get rid of alcohol breath instantly.²

Various temporary solutions will help to mask the smell. Some of the most potent solutions that will help to get rid of alcohol breath instantly are:

1.1. Eat While Drinking

Never consume alcohol on an empty stomach, as it can lead to dehydration. Eating while drinking or before drinking can help to get rid of booze breath to some extent. It is a very effective method for how to get rid of alcoholic breath instantly.

Every spirit, like wine, and whisky has a different level of alcohol content. Different body types are responsible for how alcohol is absorbed in the body.

It is advisable to eat 1 hour before consuming alcohol, as eating before drinking slows down the process of alcohol absorption into the stomach and small intestine, which further prevents dizziness, vomiting, and nausea.

It is preferable to munch snacks during the drink, dilute the drink, or enjoy it longer.

1.2.  Take A Shower

Taking a shower helps to get rid of alcohol breath. It is the best method for how to get rid of alcoholic breath instantly.

It is necessary to take a shower, especially after heavy drinking, as the strong alcohol smell starts to emit not only from the mouth but also from the skin pores, which makes the body stink.

Imagine being in public, having a boozy breath and stinky smell. You are surely going to be welcomed with weird eyes.

So, to get out of this unpleasant situation, taking a shower is the best method as it helps to flush out the toxins from the alcohol and helps to cool the body.

It is also advisable to use bath gel or scented products to make you feel fresh and clean.

1.3. Brush Your Teeth

Brush your teeth to get rid of booze breath. Many people have a habit of ignoring their oral hygiene by not brushing and flossing their teeth regularly twice a day.

But this ignorance of not brushing your teeth properly results in bad breath from the mouth the moment you wake up in the morning. So, to avoid bad breath from the mouth, it is necessary to clean the mouth properly.

Every alcoholic drink has a high level of sugar content, and excessive drinking can lead to dehydration. Spirits mixed with carbonated drinks such as Coca-Cola are dangerous for oral health.

So, it’s advisable to brush your teeth properly which helps to flush out the bad bacteria. Using toothpaste that has a strong mint flavor is a plus point.

Flossing is also important as it keeps the mouth fresh and clean. It is one of the best methods for how to get rid of alcoholic breath instantly.

Even if a person is not into drinking, following this routine of brushing your teeth, flossing, and visiting the dentist twice a month will keep bad breath away.

1.4. Rinse Your Mouth Properly

Rinse your mouth properly using mouthwash, as rinsing helps get rid of bad breath due to alcohol instantly and helps to mask the smell of alcohol. Mouthwash helps to flush out bad bacteria from the mouth, which further eliminates bad breath.

Make sure of rinsing your mouth with mouthwash for 20 seconds for having fresh and clean breath.

Although it’s advisable to use alcohol-free mouthwash, as alcohol dries the mouth.

So, from now on, to maintain oral hygiene³, it is necessary to brush, floss, and rinse your mouth. It is one of the good methods for how to get rid of alcoholic breath instantly.

1.5.  Eat Peanut Butter

Peanut butter works as a wonder to remove the awful odor from the mouth after a night of drinking. It helps to mask bad breath and eliminate the alcohol smell. It is one of the best methods for how to get rid of alcoholic breath instantly.

The peanut oils in peanut butter have a more pleasant and aromatic smell than alcohol breath. It helps to cover the strong smell of alcohol easily.

So, before hopping into some important event, eat some generous amount of peanut butter as you do not want people to guess that you were drinking.

1.6. Chew Gum

Besides brushing and flossing, chewing gum is also one of the methods to maintain oral hygiene. It is preferable to have sugar-free chewing gum after eating or drinking, as it helps in saliva production, breaking the food particles between the teeth and preventing the teeth from decaying.

Although chewing gum is not a great solution to mask the smell of alcohol breath, it helps to eliminate the alcohol breath to some extent.

You will get rid of alcohol breath for some time till the flavor of gum resides. The moment it diminishes, you will have the boozy breath back again.

So, chewing gum after drinking is quite a dicey option, as it often indicates to people around you that you are trying to hide your bad breath. But it is one of the quickest methods how to get rid of alcohol breath instantly.

1.7. Drink Coffee

Drinking a cup of coffee is not a highly recommended method to cover the awful odor of alcohol breath, but it still helps to mask the smell of alcohol to some extent.

Coffee contains caffeine, a substance used in energy drinks, so after drinking caffeinated beverages, one feels energetic. On the other hand, alcohol makes you feel sleepy and dizzy.

So, drinking coffee after alcohol can have a reverse effect, as coffee masks the effect of alcohol on the body and makes the person more alert. This reverse effect ultimately leads to more drinking than a person would normally drink.

But, if your main goal is to reduce the smell of alcohol breath, you can quickly grab a cup of coffee, as coffee has a strong smell. It is one of the most effective methods for how to get rid of alcoholic breath instantly.

1.8. Chew Mint Leaves

Chewing mint leaves is one of the great methods for how to get rid of alcohol breath instantly. It helps to cover the awful odor of the alcohol breath. Mint leaves act as a natural mouth freshener that helps to eliminate the strong smell of alcohol breath.

If you are in a restaurant drinking and enjoying with your friends, you can quickly grab some mint leaves, as they are easily available at restaurants.

Chew three or four leaves and keep them in the mouth. Drink some lukewarm water after but don’t swallow the leaves.

1.9. Have Aromatic Herbs

Aromatic herbs like parsley are an effective way how to get rid of alcohol and breathe instantly. Parsley has deodorizing properties that help to reduce the breath of alcohol to some extent.

Blend parsley leaves with water and consume the juice, or garnish your dish with parsley.

Either way, parsley has high mineral content, rich in nutrients that are good for health and the body.

1.10. Use Perfume Or Deodorants

Well, perfumes are not the best method for getting rid of alcohol breath instantly but can help reduce the stinking odor from the body. Using perfume or deodorants to hide alcohol breath may mask the smell temporarily, but it is not a reliable or effective solution.

Alcohol has a very distinct smell that can be hard to conceal and masking it with a fragrance may not completely get rid of the smell.

Use your favorite perfume or deodorant on certain body parts such as the neck or the wrists to feel fresh.

The best ways to get rid of alcohol breath are to brush your teeth, use mouthwash, drink water, and wait for the alcohol to be metabolized by the body.

1.11. Have Equally Strong-smelling Foods

Consuming strong-smelling foods like garlic or onion is one of the best methods to get rid of alcohol and breathe instantly.

1.11.1. Garlic

Garlic is rich in vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants that help to keep the heart and body healthy.

But having garlic after consuming alcohol is not a highly recommendable option, as garlic is strongly smelling. Still, it is one of the quickest methods how to get rid of alcohol breath instantly.

As the smell of garlic overpowers the smell of alcohol, having garlic can reduce the breath of alcohol.

You can have garlic bread or order garlic-infused dishes while enjoying your drinks. You can even take 2-3 garlic cloves and chew them raw.

But eating garlic to eliminate the breath of alcohol is not highly recommended, as the garlic breath is unpleasant too, and the garlic smell also gets emitted from the body.

So, think twice before trying this remedy.

1.11.2. Onions

Onions are rich in vitamins that help to keep the body healthy. It also helps maintain oral health as raw onion prevents bacteria build-up that can lead to gum issues.

Red onions have a more powerful smell than white onions, so if you are comfortable with the smell of onions, you can try dishes that have onions in them. You can have onion fritters or onion-based salads.

It is one of the quick remedies for how to get rid of alcoholic breath instantly.

2. How To Prevent From Such Embarrassments

Next on our list of how to get rid of alcohol breath instantly, we have some preventive measures that go a long way.

Every alcoholic drink has different levels of alcohol content. Surely, nobody would want to tumble down after enjoying last night or have smelling breath afterward,

So here are a few tips to enjoy while also keeping health in mind.

2.1. Avoid heavy drinking

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Drink moderately because less drinking can reduce the breath of alcohol.

Drink plenty of water between drinking and having a few shots rather than consuming at large.

Have your drink slowly.

2.2. Avoid mixing drinks

Every alcoholic beverage has different alcohol content and unique smells. Mixing different drinks can actually worsen the situation and can also have an impact on health. So, drink simple drinks and have beverages with lower alcohol content.

Enjoying the night with friends and having alcoholic breath the next day can be quite worrisome especially if you are having a public meeting or so.

So, here are a few quick home remedies that one can try to reduce alcohol breath to some extent.

But, getting rid of the alcohol breath is a slow process that requires a lot of patience and self-control.

There is no harm in drinking, but always remember to stay within limits while enjoying.

3. Conclusion

The only way to completely eliminate alcoholic breath is to wait for the alcohol to leave your system. If you have consumed a large amount of alcohol, it may take several hours before the smell completely disappears. Always drink responsibly and be mindful of your alcohol consumption, especially if you have important social or professional engagements. If you are concerned about your alcohol consumption, consider seeking professional help or speaking with a healthcare provider.

FAQs

1. Why does my breath smell like alcohol when not drinking?

A. There are a few potential causes for this phenomenon. One possibility is that you have recently consumed foods or products that contain alcohol, such as vanilla extract or certain types of mouthwash. Another possibility is that you have a condition called “auto-brewery syndrome⁴,” in which yeast in the gut ferments sugars and produces alcohol.

2. Does drinking give you acetone breath?

A. Drinking alcohol can cause a person to have breath that smells like acetone, which is a type of ketone. This is because when the body breaks down alcohol, it produces acetone as a byproduct. This can happen when a person has been drinking a large amount of alcohol, and their body is trying to metabolize it quickly.

3.  Why do alcoholic beverages leave such a recognizable smell on the breath?

A. Alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, and spirits, contain ethanol, which is a type of alcohol that is easily absorbed into the bloodstream and can be found in a person’s breath. When a person drinks an alcoholic beverage, the ethanol is absorbed into the bloodstream and is eventually exhaled through the lungs. This is why a person’s breath can smell like alcohol after they have been drinking.

Read more

1. Nieuwenhuis, Marijn. “Porous skin: Breathing through the prism of the holey body.” Emotion, Space and Society 33 (2019): 100595. ↩︎
2. Thurston, Gavin. “breath exclude the use of breath testing as an accurate means of determining blood alcohol levels, but because breath tests give results which are below the true blood content the method may serve as a screening technique for the purpose of law enforcement. They conclude that accurate knowledge of the alcohol content of blood must be based on the results of direct analysis.” ↩︎
3. Choo, Audrey, David M. Delac, and Louise Brearley Messer. “Oral hygiene measures and promotion: review and considerations.” Australian dental journal 46.3 (2001): 166-173. ↩︎
4. Din, Asim Tameez Ud, Faran Alam, and Farooq Mohyud Din Chaudhary. “Auto-brewery syndrome: a clinical dilemma.” Cureus 12.10 (2020). ↩︎

Last Updated on April 5, 2024 by ayeshayusuf