How long does alcohol stay in your system
How long does alcohol stay in your system is a very demanding question. You are fond of drinking alcohol. You drink daily. But you do not know what happens when alcohol enters your body. Your body metabolizes alcohol in a specialized way. It travels from the stomach to the liver. The liver is the main organ that is responsible for alcohol breakdown.
You have many tests that detect the amount of alcohol. These tests also tell you about how long does alcohol stay in your system.
How long does alcohol stay in your system: This article deals with the:
- Which factors involved in how long does alcohol stay in your system?
- How much alcohol is present in different drinks?
- How does alcohol metabolize in your system?
- What is the final destination of alcohol in your system?
- How can you detect alcohol in your body?
- Do you know about alcohol poisoning?
Initial words
Our body has a specialized mechanism for how long does alcohol stay in your system. Alcohol metabolizes quickly in our system at the rate of 20 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) per hour. It gives an idea about how much drinking metabolizes in a required time.
Continue reading to get info about alcohol’s life cycle in your system.
Which factors involved in how long does alcohol stay in your system?
Anything cannot happen without any reason. Similarly, the alcohol process depends on some factors. Alcohol metabolizes at the same rate. Its rate does not change. There is a standard unit that tells us about the amount of alcohol present in your system. This unit is called blood alcohol concentration (BAC). It means the amount of alcohol present in blood compared to the amount of water present in the blood. The rate of alcohol metabolism can be the same, but BAC will different for every person.
BAC is different due to the following reasons, and these factors are also responsible for how long alcohol stays in your system.
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Age
An older person has more chances of alcohol poisoning than younger. Your metabolism slows down with growing age. So, think about your age before drinking.
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Weight
Weight disturbs our body systems. Moreover, people of lower metabolism gain weight fast. Do not drink much if you have more body mass than the average requirement.
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Drinking with an empty stomach
Alcohol burns the stomach walls lead to food poisoning. We advise you to eat a meal before having a drink.
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Medications after alcohol
Medicines may react with alcohol and cause severe disorders. So, do not take allergic and anti-depressants after drinking. However, you can take only a pain killer.
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Liver diseases
The liver has a prominent role in processing alcohol. If you are a liver patient, your alcohol metabolism process slows down. Try to avoid too much drinking if your liver is upset.
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Binge drinking
Binge drinking means taking many drinks in a short period. It is an exciting factor that you drink too much without taking notice. You prefer small drinks too heavy. Then, you take it continuously without counting. It makes you drunk, and your BAC level rises.
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Metabolism
It is the process of alcohol breakdown. If you love to drink, keep an eye on your BAC level. Avoid too much drinking if you have a slow metabolism.
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Type and nature of alcohol
Many drinks contain different percentages of alcohol. So, measure your drink.
How much alcohol is present in different drinks?
The amount of alcohol present in a drink also affects BAC. It determines the alcohol metabolism rate. For example, beers contain a high percentage of alcohol.
We have prepared a chart of drinks based on how much time required for alcohol metabolism:
| type of alcohol beverage | average time to metabolism |
| small shot of liquor | One hour |
| pint of beer | Two hours |
| large glass of wine | Three hours |
| few drinks | Several hours |
How does alcohol metabolize in your system?
You should aware of the alcohol metabolism process. Alcohol enters the body step and step. Its way in the body is different than other drinks. It directly goes into the stomach to the small intestine. Then, small intestine to blood vessels. Blood vessels take alcohol to the brain as the alcohol flows with the blood. About 80% absorption takes place in the stomach. The rest of the alcohol is absorbed in the small intestine.
What is the final destination of alcohol in your system?
The final destination of alcohol is the liver. If you are a liver patient, this step takes more time than any healthy person.
How can you detect alcohol in your body?
Every alcoholic wants to know about how long does alcohol stay in your system. Medical made it easy for you. They suggested tests to detect alcohol in your body. These tests are cheap and easy to conduct.
Following are these medical tests that help us to know about how long does alcohol stay in your system:
- Urine test
A urine test is an easy way to detect alcohol. It can detect alcohol from 12-48 hours after drinking.
An advanced form of urine test can detect alcohol after 80 hours of drinking.
- Breath test
It detects alcohol within a short period of 24 hours.
- Hair test
This test detects alcohol for more than three months. Alcohol stays in your hair for a long time.
- Saliva test
It detects alcohol and its traces after about 12-24 hours.
- Blood test
It provides information about alcohol for up to 6 hours.
|
Tests |
How long does alcohol stay in your system? |
| Urine test | 12-48 hours |
| Breath test | 24 hours |
| Hair test | 90 days |
Do you know about alcohol poisoning?
It is a worse condition when your drinking is more than your body’s metabolic capacity. Your body fails to break down the alcohol. The use of Binge is a main cause of alcohol poisoning.
Following symptoms of alcohol poisoning appear:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Lowers your body temperature
- Difficulty in breathing
- Throwing up
Call for an emergency if you experience the above symptoms.
It causes fetal effects if you do not seek help:
- Heart attack
- Brain disorder
- Seizure
- Asphyxiation
- Lowers blood pressure
| Let’s take an overview of precautions while drinking:
§ Drink after food. Food helps your body to absorb alcohol. § Drink water before drinking alcohol. Water helps to reduce BAC. § Avoid caffeine after drinking. § Do not drive after drinking. § Keep hydrated and eat snacks with drinking. |
Conclusion
We discussed all drinking. You must be aware of the process of alcohol. It goes from the food canal to the stomach, then to the small intestine, and then ultimately in the bloodstream. The liver is the final destination. Our body takes one hour to metabolize one standard drink.
The answer to how long does alcohol stay in your system depends on your age, weight, amount of alcohol intake, drinking without food, and medication.
Your health also matters. A liver patient has a slow metabolism level. His body takes more time to absorb alcohol than any healthy one.
Alcohol should take care of while drinking. There are different drinks available in the market. Every drink contains a different percentage of alcohol, i.e., beer has the highest percentage of alcohol. So measure your drinks.
Here is something fascinating about binge drinking. You take small drinks and do stop. It makes you unconscious. You feel nausea and vomiting. Many other common symptoms appear.
Over drinking leads to alcohol poisoning. It causes serious diseases. Alcohol poisoning is when you drink more, but your body unable to drink.
Your body metabolizes alcohol at a specific time. This limit does not increase at any cost. You can refresh yourself by drinking water, sleeping, or by taking strong coffee. But remember, do not take coffee instantly. It may react with alcohol and cause food poisoning.
We advised you to take care of yourself. Have healthy, moderate, and safe drinking.
