Allergy Season and Alcohol: A Troublesome Mix?

It's allergy season, and pollen is coating everything—your car, porch, windowsills, and clothes. You wake up sneezing and spend the day blowing your nose, coughing, and soothing a scratchy throat. By evening, you're desperate for relief, barely able to breathe. You might think about opening a bottle of wine to relax, but is mixing alcohol with allergies a good idea?

In this article, we'll examine the connection between allergies and alcohol, and how drinking can make symptoms worse. We'll also share smarter ways to manage your allergies.

What Are Allergies?

Before diving into alcohol's role, it helps to understand what allergies are and what happens during an allergic reaction.

Allergies are your immune system's overreaction to normally harmless substances—called allergens—like pollen, pet dander, bee venom, or certain foods and medications. When an allergen enters your body, your immune system mistakenly treats it as a threat.

This triggers mast cells (a type of immune cell) to release chemicals, including histamines. Histamines cause classic allergy symptoms: sneezing, watery eyes, itching, congestion, and hay fever. Allergies vary widely—from mild irritation to life-threatening anaphylaxis.

How Does Alcohol Affect Allergies?

Research shows that alcohol can cause or worsen allergy, asthma, and hay fever symptoms like sneezing, itching, headaches, and coughing.

For example, one study of older adults with asthma found that over 40% reported alcohol triggered allergy-like symptoms, and 30–35% said it worsened their asthma.

Why? Alcohol contains histamines—chemicals that cause inflammation and allergic reactions. Histamines are especially high in aged or fermented drinks like beer, wine, and liquor. When you drink, your system gets a flood of histamine, which can set off symptoms.

Alcohol also blocks diamine oxidase (DAO), an enzyme that breaks down histamine. So not only does alcohol add histamines, it hampers your body's ability to clear them. That’s why you might sneeze or itch more after a drink.

Sulfites—preservatives in beer and wine—are another trigger. They can provoke asthma and allergy-like symptoms. One study noted alcohol triggered asthma attacks in one-third of participants.

Other alcohol properties can worsen allergies too:

• Alcohol affects blood pressure by constricting and dilating blood vessels, potentially intensifying allergic reactions.
• As a diuretic, alcohol dehydrates you, and dehydration can make allergy symptoms worse.
• Some people react to alcohol aged in wooden barrels if they're sensitive to tree nuts.

Are Some Types of Alcohol Worse Than Others?

Most alcoholic drinks contain histamines and sulfites, but some have more than others.

• Histamines: Red wine has the most (60–3,800 micrograms per glass), while white wine has less (3–120 micrograms). Beer is high in histamines, but hard cider and spirits like vodka and gin usually have lower amounts.
• Sulfites: Beer and red wine tend to have fewer sulfites than white wine. Vodka and gin are often sulfite-free due to distillation.
• Sugar: High sugar content (common in mixed drinks and some wines) can increase inflammation and worsen symptoms. Some mass-produced red wines have up to 12 grams of residual sugar per liter.
• Other ingredients: Beer contains gluten, yeast, and hops, which can cause reactions in sensitive individuals.

How Alcohol Affects Your Immune Response

Since your immune system defends against allergens, it's important to know how alcohol impacts immunity.

Multiple studies confirm that alcohol can weaken your immune system, leading to stronger allergic responses. Heavy drinking especially suppresses immunity, making you more vulnerable to allergies and other health issues.

One recent study linked high alcohol use to high IgE levels—an antibody released during allergic reactions. This suggests alcohol interacts with your body's allergy response.

Alcohol can also trigger non-allergic rhinitis, which mimics allergies but involves a different mechanism. Research in this area is ongoing.

Is It Possible to Be Allergic to Alcohol?

True alcohol allergy is rare because your body produces alcohol naturally. Alcohol intolerance, however, is more common.

One study found 7.2% of participants reported allergy-like symptoms after drinking wine, but only two had a medically diagnosed allergy.

Alcohol allergy involves the immune system, while intolerance stems from genetic digestive issues that make it hard to break down alcohol. Many people with intolerance lack enough alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), an enzyme that processes alcohol's toxic compounds. Symptoms include facial flushing, nasal congestion, rash, upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting.

A true alcohol allergy can cause anaphylaxis—a severe reaction with rapid or weak pulse, fainting, shock, coma, or even death.

Tips for Managing Allergies

Since alcohol can worsen symptoms, it's wise to limit or avoid it, especially during allergy season. Here are more tips for relief:

• Avoid allergens: Identify and steer clear of your triggers. Seasonal allergens include tree pollens in early spring and grass pollens in early summer. Year-round triggers might be dust, mold, or pet dander.
• Use over-the-counter remedies: Oral antihistamines like Zyrtec, Allegra, or Claritin block histamine activity. Nasal sprays (e.g., Flonase Allergy Relief) and decongestants (e.g., Sudafed) can also help.
• Try natural antihistamines: Options like vitamin C, butterbur, bromelain, probiotics, and quercetin may relieve symptoms without the drowsiness or nausea of some medications.
• Rinse your sinuses: Use a neti pot or saline spray with bottled water to flush out mucus and allergens. Steam from a humidifier can also ease congestion.
• Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water, tea, broth, or soup to thin mucus and relieve stuffiness or post-nasal drip.
• Eat healthy: A diet rich in fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts—especially grapes, apples, oranges, and tomatoes—may reduce allergy symptoms. Add at least one fresh fruit or vegetable to every meal.

The Bottom Line

Allergies happen when your immune system overreacts to harmless substances, causing sneezing, watery eyes, coughing, itching, or hay fever. While true alcohol allergy is rare, alcohol's histamines, sulfites, and other properties can worsen allergy symptoms. If you have allergies, it's best to limit or avoid alcohol.

If you want to cut back on drinking but aren't sure where to start, consider trying Quitemate. It's a neuroscience-backed app that has helped millions reduce alcohol consumption and improve their health.