You may not even know it until a friend tells you your breath smells like alcohol. In some cases, the smell comes and goes, in others it is persistent and this can make you feel uncomfortable. Then arise this topic how to get rid of alcohol breath. There is no real way to get rid of alcohol breath, however, there are a few tricks that could help conceal it.
WHY IS IT HARD TO GET RID OF ALCOHOL BREATH?
Getting rid of alcohol breath is difficult yet I still put up this article on how to get rid of alcohol breath, because unless alcohol is fully metabolized and flushed from your system, the smell sticks. The process of metabolizing alcohol is the same for everyone, but factors such as weight, gender, age, and blood alcohol concentration (BAC), make alcohol metabolism different, so it can be fast for some and slow for others.
The liver metabolized alcohol at a rate of about 0.015g per hour. That is equivalent to one standard drink, so when your BAC reaches 0.09 or more, it will take more time to metabolize it. All these factors increase the time it will take to flush the alcohol out of your system, hence making it difficult to get rid of alcohol breath.
WHAT CAUSES ALCOHOL BREATH?
The simple answer is excessive drinking. The body sees alcohol as a toxin, so it tries to transform it into a less harmful substance, in the process you develop alcohol breath.
Alcohol breath originates from the stomach and is particularly noticed when you belch. This is because alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream from your stomach and intestines
HOW LONG DOES ALCOHOL BREATH LAST?
There is no way to know exactly how long alcohol breath can last because we all have different speeds at which alcohol is metabolized, due to certain factors already mentioned. However, the general rule is that a standard bottle of alcohol takes an hour to be metabolized, so the more you drink, the longer the smell lingers.
HOW TO GET RID OF ALCOHOL BREATH: MYTHS AND FACTS
So many strategies have been put up on how to get rid of alcohol breath, even though you can’t truly get rid of it. Some of these strategies are effective in concealing the smell, others are myths.
Let’s take a look at some of the myths on how to get rid of alcohol breath and then learn the facts on how to get rid of alcohol breath.
HOW TO GET RID OF ALCOHOL BREATH: MYTH
These are myth on how to get rid of alcohol breath:
1. Using Mints: The idea that the mint flavor of chewing gum, floss, or mouthwash can conceal alcohol only works temporarily. Alcohol breath comes from your stomach up to your lungs where alcohol in the blood enters your exhaled air. It does not come from the mouth.
2. Using Breath Perfume: Most cultures, especially in India, finish a meal with a herbal chew to perfume away an unpleasant smell. But this is unlikely to keep your breath fresh long enough when you are trying to get rid of alcohol breath.
3. Drinking Neutral-smelling Alcohol: It does not matter how light the smell of alcohol is since the alcohol breath comes from your lungs, it will create the same unpleasant smell.
HOW TO GET RID OF ALCOHOL BREATH: FACTS
Below are the facts on how to get rid of alcohol breath:
1. Consume Something Smelly: While you can’t fight an awful smell with a fresh event, you can eat things that equally smell awful like garlic or onions to conceal alcohol breath.
2. Brush your teeth: Alcohol breath may not be coming from your mouth, but bacteria that live in your mouth thrive after you have consumed alcohol. To reduce the smell of alcohol, brush your teeth, tongue, and the roof of your mouth properly.
3. Help your body process alcohol: You can help your body process alcohol by eating properly, staying hydrated, and performing exercises. Exercise helps speed up body metabolism. The more you help your liver, the more it will help you.
Other ways you could use to remove alcohol breath are:
- Gargle with alcohol-containing mouthwash.
- Suck on cough drops
- Drink coffee
- Eat peanut butter
These are all temporary ways how to get rid of alcohol breath, but they can mask off the smell for as long as they can.
HOW TO PREVENT ALCOHOL BREATH
Yes, how to get rid of alcohol breath is not easy. So you can consume alcohol without your breath smelling of it, although prevention is better than cure
To prevent alcohol breath:
- Avoid drinking too much
- Try not to mix your alcoholic drinks
- Do not drink on an empty stomach
- Stay away from aromatic drinks like liquors.
WHICH ALCOHOL SMELLS LEAST ON BREATH?
No matter the type of alcohol, when you drink a lot of it, it will definitely put a smell on your breath. However, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), vodka is an odorless alcohol. 2 or 3 regular glasses of vodka will not make you have alcohol breath, but when you consume too much, you will have alcohol on your breath.
Another type of alcohol considered to smell less on the breath is gin, and the same thing goes for it. So long as you don’t consume much of it, you are safe, but if you take it in excess, it leaves a pungent smell on your breath.
WHICH ALCOHOL SMELLS MOST ON BREATH?
Beer and wine. Although they are the least intoxicating alcohol, they leave a strong odor on your breath.
CAN DIABETES MAKE YOUR BREATH SMELL OF ALCOHOL?
Yes. Alcohol breath could be a sign of underlying diabetes sometimes, be it type 1 or type 2. So maybe you don’t drink much and one day at work a friend tells you your breath smells like you’ve been drinking. Although you will feel embarrassed, you might want to check that out at the hospital, especially if you know you’ve not been drinking (much), because that could be an indication of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially life-threatening complication that requires immediate medical attention.
HOW TO HIDE THE SMELL OF ALCOHOL IN A ROOM
An approach to solving a problem is to eliminate the source of the problem. So if you want to hide the smell of alcohol in a room, you need to stop the source from releasing the smell, be it spilled alcohol on your rug, your clothes, or even empty bottles or drinking cups of alcohol. Apply baking soda on the surfaces where alcohol was spilled. Sodium bicarbonate is an odor absorbent that can be used to get rid of organic scents.
Take off your clothes if alcohol was spilled on them and have a fresh bath. Alcohol can diffuse through the skin so make sure to take your bath with a bar of scented soap and also, brush your teeth to try concealing the smell of alcohol on your breath.
Once you’ve cleaned out all the sources of alcohol, ventilate the room. Open up all the windows and sources of ventilation and turn on the fan or AC. The fresh air from ventilation helps to take off the smell of alcohol from the room. Finally, spray some air freshener, to give the room a whole new scent.
HOW TO GET RID OF ALCOHOL FROM SKIN PORES
About 10% of alcohol leaves the body through breath, sweat, and urine. As alcohol diffuses through the skin pores in the form of sweat, here are some ways you can make the odor less noticeable:
- Take a nice bath using a bar of scented soap or scented shower gel.
- Use deodorant afterward.
- Have a good active skincare routine that can help keep your body clean.
- Change into fresh clothes.
- Stay hydrated, this helps to flush out alcohol through urine instead.
SUMMARY
You can only temporarily get rid of alcohol breath. The only way to mask alcohol breath is to avoid alcoholic drinks, drink more water or sodas, and if you must drink, keep it at a minimum. The less you drink, the faster your liver metabolizes alcohol, and the lesser your breath smells of alcohol.
REFERENCES
- How Long Does Alcohol Stay On Your Breath? Suhrelawlouisville.com: April 29, 2022.
- How To Get Rid Of Alcohol Breath Fast. alcoholrehabhelp-org: April 29, 2022.
- Trying To Refresh Your Breath After Drinking? www.healthline.com: April 29, 2022.