Food Is Stuck and You’re Alone? Here’s What to Do If You’re Choking
If you’re choking and cannot breathe, speak, or cough effectively, act immediately. Don’t wait for someone to find you.
🆘 If you can still cough forcefully:
Keep coughing. A strong cough can sometimes clear the blockage. Don’t waste time trying to drink water or reaching blindly into your throat.
🚨 If you cannot breathe, speak, or cough:
1. Call emergency services immediately if you can. Put your phone on speaker if possible.
2. Give yourself abdominal thrusts.
Make a fist and place it just above your belly button and below your breastbone. Grasp your fist with your other hand and deliver quick, forceful thrusts inward and upward.
3. Use a sturdy object if necessary.
If you cannot perform abdominal thrusts effectively with your hands, press your upper abdomen forcefully against the edge of a firm, non-sharp surface, such as the back of a chair or a countertop. Repeat thrusts until the object is expelled or help arrives.
⚠️ Don’t do this:
❌ Don’t put your fingers blindly into your mouth or throat.
❌ Don’t try to force food down with water.
❌ Don’t wait for the blockage to “work itself out” if you cannot breathe.
If you become unconscious, you can no longer help yourself, so getting emergency assistance as quickly as possible is critical.
After a choking episode, medical evaluation may be appropriate, particularly if you had severe choking, persistent coughing, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, or think something may still be lodged.
Save this information—you may never need it, but knowing what to do could save a life.
