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How Long Does Alcohol Stay In Your System? Everything You Need To Know

Medically reviewed by Dr. Po-Chang HsuAugust 26, 2024
Written by
On August 26, 2024

Table of Contents

Key Points

  • Understanding how long alcohol stays in your body after imbibing is crucial for responsible use and making informed decisions
  • Alcohol metabolism occurs primarily in the liver through absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
  • Factors that influence how long alcohol stays in your system include metabolism, weight, age, health, and food consumption
  • Detection methods for alcohol include breathalyzers, blood tests, urine tests, and hair follicle tests
  • Breathalyzers measure alcohol in breath by chemical reactions that provide a BAC reading
  • Support is available for those struggling with alcohol abuse, including tailored treatment plans and recovery assistance
Understanding how long alcohol stays in your body is critical knowledge that should inform how you use it. Many factors influence the presence of alcohol in your system and many ways in which it can be measured.

How Alcohol Affects The Body

Engaging in alcohol use can affect your body and mind in numerous ways. These are some of the bodily systems alcohol is known to impact[1].

  • Central nervous system: Alcohol acts as a depressant, which means it slows down your brain function. Even moderate doses can impair your coordination, judgment, and decision-making abilities. At higher doses, alcohol use can cause slurred speech, memory loss, loss of consciousness, and even pose a risk to your life.
  • Liver: Your liver is where alcohol is metabolized. Alcohol addiction and abuse can lead to liver damage, including conditions known as fatty liver, hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. Excessive alcohol use can also increase your risk of liver cancer.
  • Cardiovascular system: Some research suggests low alcohol consumption may have cardiovascular benefits, like raising your HDL cholesterol levels. However, excessive drinking can lead to a slew of negative conditions, including high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and stroke.
  • Digestive system: Alcohol is known to irritate your digestive tract. This can lead to dangerous symptoms like gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, and other stomach issues. It can also interfere with how your body absorbs nutrients from food.
  • Immune system: Heavy drinking weakens the immune system, making the body more susceptible to diseases and infections.
  • Endocrine system: Alcohol can disrupt hormone production and regulation. This may result in sexual dysfunction and infertility.
  • Sleep: While alcohol might make you feel sleepy when you use it, it also disrupts your sleep patterns and can lead to bad sleep quality.
  • Mental health: Alcohol is linked to mental health issues like depression and anxiety. It may also exacerbate any pre-existing mental health conditions you may already be struggling with.
  • Weight: Alcohol is very calorically dense and can contribute to weight gain if you use it regularly – especially in excess.
  • Dependency: Frequent alcohol use can result in alcoholism. This is a serious medical condition that can require treatment at a detox center.

How The Body Processes Alcohol

Your body processes and metabolizes alcohol in the liver[2]. Here is an outline of that process.

  • Absorption: After consumption, alcohol enters your bloodstream through your stomach and small intestine. The absorption rate can be affected by several factors, including the concentration of the alcohol you’ve consumed, how recently you’ve eaten food, and the type of alcohol you’re drinking.
  • Distribution: Once in the bloodstream, alcohol is distributed through your body, affecting many organs and tissues. This process contributes to these effects on your central nervous system. These resulting feelings are known as intoxication.
  • Metabolism: The liver is the primary organ responsible for metabolizing alcohol. The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase starts the breakdown of alcohol into acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is then further broken down by another enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase. On average, your liver processes approximately one standard drink per hour. Factors such as body weight, sex, age, genetics, liver health, and whether or not you have an empty stomach can influence the speed at which alcohol is metabolized.
  • Elimination: Acetate is further metabolized into carbon dioxide and water. These byproducts are then eliminated from the body through the lungs, urine, and sweat. This final elimination process helps to remove the last remnants of alcohol from the body.

How Long Alcohol Can Be Detected in Your System

The duration alcohol stays in your system may change based on several factors, including how many drinks you’ve had, how well your metabolism functions, your weight, age, sex, overall health, and whether you’ve eaten recently. Here are a few guidelines.

 

How Alcohol in the Body Is Tested

Different measuring tests detect alcohol in your body via different mechanisms. They all, however, primarily focus on detecting ethanol, the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. Here are the main tests you’ll likely encounter and how they detect alcohol in your system[7].
  1. Breathalyzer: When you blow into a breathalyzer, your breath enters a chamber where it interacts with an oxide semiconductor or chemical solution. This interaction causes a chemical reaction that generates an electric current. The strength of this current directly corresponds to the amount of alcohol present in your breath. The breathalyzer then converts this measurement into a numeric BAC reading, displayed on a digital screen.
  2. Blood test: In a typical blood test, a blood sample is drawn from one of your veins and analyzed in a laboratory. The amount of alcohol present is measured in grams per deciliter or milligrams per milliliter. Your blood alcohol concentration can be calculated via blood test for up to 12 hours after consumption.
  3. Urine test: To undergo a urine test, a urine sample is collected from you and analyzed in a laboratory, much like in a blood test. The presence of alcohol metabolites indicates recent alcohol consumption. Alcohol can be detected in urine for up to four days after you drink it.
  4. Hair follicle test: A small hair sample is collected from your scalp to perform a hair follicle test. The sample is then analyzed in a laboratory to detect the presence of alcohol metabolites. Alcohol can be detected in hair follicle tests for up to 90 days after consumption.

Help and Support Is Available

Life is difficult when you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol abuse. The first and possibly the hardest step is deciding that you’ve had enough and that it’s time to seek help at an alcohol rehab. Fortunately, it is simple to find treatment options and treatment programs, both inpatient and outpatient, that can help you walk the path to sobriety.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Alcohol's Duration

There are several things you can do to help speed up the process of eliminating alcohol from your system[8].

  1. Hydration: Drink plenty of water to help flush out alcohol and prevent dehydration. Dehydration may worsen any hangover symptoms and side effects you experience.
  2. Eat: Consuming food, especially high-protein and high-fat foods, can help slow down the absorption of alcohol and boost your metabolism.
  3. Activity: Exercise may stimulate your metabolism and promote better circulation, which may help eliminate alcohol from your body.
  4. Rest: Allow your body to have the time to recover and process the alcohol you’ve consumed. 
  5. Avoid more alcohol: Don’t drink any more alcohol. This will prolong the time it takes for alcohol to leave your system.

There are many different types of alcohol available. Here are the main types that you are likely to encounter.

  • Beer: Beer is made from fermented grains, hops, water, and yeast. It varies widely in flavor and strength. There are also many beer styles, including ales, lagers, stouts, and pilsners.
  • Wine: Wine is created from fermenting grapes or other fruits. It can be red, white, rosé, or sparkling, and its sweetness and alcohol content vary greatly.
  • Spirits: Also known as hard liquor, spirits are distilled alcoholic beverages with a higher alcohol content. Many different types of spirits are produced using different methods. Some popular types include whiskey, vodka, rum, gin, and tequila.
  • Brandy: Brandy is produced by distilling wine or fermented fruit juices.

Excessive or constant alcohol use may have significant health consequences across multiple systems of your body. Here are some of the biggest consequences of alcohol use that have not yet been mentioned:

  • Neurological and mental health effects: Alcohol is known to impair your cognitive functions like memory and judgment. Alcohol abuse can also lead to neurological disorders and contribute to mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.
  • Reproductive health issues: Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. This may cause physical, behavioral, and learning disabilities in infants and young children.
  • Accidents and injuries: Alcohol impairs coordination, reflexes, and judgment. This can greatly increase the risk of accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

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[1]National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (n.d.). Alcohol’s effects on the body. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved July 20, 2024, from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-body

[2]National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (n.d.). Alcohol metabolism. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved July 20, 2024, from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/alcohol-metabolism

[3][4]Helander, A., Dahl, H., & Beck, O. (2009). Ethics of drug testing: With particular reference to alcohol. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 44(1), 55-63. https://doi.org/10.1093/alcalc/agn098

[5][6]Niraj, G., Nikhil, N., Sanjay, G., & Shubhangi, D. (2013). Giant hydronephrosis masquerading as progressive malignancy: Case report and review of the literature. Case Reports in Urology, 2013, Article ID 912896. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3927158/

[7]National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.). Genes and human disease. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459334/

[8]Healthline. (n.d.). How long does alcohol stay in your system? Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-alcohol-stay-in-your-system#urine-vs-breath-test

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