My ears have been bothering me due to me being recently sick. i dipped my q tips in rubbing alcohol is there any chance it could be harmful to my ears?

Should be ok: A little alcohol on a qtip should not cause a problem. It is more the trauma of putting them in your ear that can do damage so it's not recommended. If you get worse pain drainage hearing loss dizziness or feel unwell it's best to have your doctor take a look. Try some OTC pain med in the mean time

Keep it out: Keep Q tips out of your ears. The alcohol can irritate the canals and dry them out causing more harm than good Using the tube from the middle of the ear to the throat gets block and you need more fluids, time and maybe an expectorate do not use anything smaller than you elbow in your canals