text: why cant i breathe when i drink? when i drink any kind of alcohol my nose gets stopped up and i cant breathe why is this?? you are probably allergic to alcohol and if so you are probably allergic to alot of other things too. you can type in joan mathews larson on the web or thiq and read more. usually when one is allergic to alcohol they are allergic to wheat as well and dairy products good luck and watch out for allergenic/alcoholism