If you're keen to find out how long alcohol stays in your system, you either have fallen victim to an excruciating hangover in the past or you're currently struggling through one. The good news is your body metabolises alcohol at a steady rate, so even without doing anything you're already moving in the right direction.
Alcohol is a depressant that has a short life span in the body. Once you've had a drink and alcohol enters the bloodstream, your body starts to metabolise a percentage of it every hour. Your body processes alcohol steadily but slowly, which means the liver can't speed up its detoxification process. Instead the unmetabolised alcohol just stays in your bloodstream and results in intoxication.
How long does alcohol stay in your system?
If you want a timeline, your liver metabolises alcohol at around one drink per hour to be specific. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) estimates that one drink would be metabolised and out of your system after three hours, two drinks after slightly over four hours, three drinks by six hours, and four drinks by seven. But this depends on some key factors.
Your age, weight, whether you’ve eaten food recently, medications, liver health and the time between drinks all impact how long alcohol stays in your system, according to Healthline.
If you've ever wondered why hangovers become increasingly unbearable as you get older, some bad news. Your liver's ability to break down alcohol slows as you get older. Whilst your 18-year-old self was a well-oiled machine ridding the chemical from your body, that process takes longer as you age.
Anyone who swears by a big meal before drinking is onto something, too. Roughly 20% of the ethanol in liquor is absorbed into the blood from the stomach and the rest from the small intestine, and the longer it stays in the stomach, the slower the rate of intoxication.
Eating before drinking, and snacking throughout a drinking session means alcohol is absorbed more slowly, which will reduce its impact. But, in a frustrating catch-22, it could also mean you end up drinking more, which would naturally undo any of the benefits of eating more.
What if I drink regularly?
How frequently and how fast you drink impacts how long alcohol stays in your system, and drinking more regularly doesn't make your body more effective at processing alcohol. If you go on a bender and binge drink regularly, which research says is five or more drinks for men or four for women during a single session, it can take several hours for the alcohol to be gone from your system.
How do I get rid of alcohol from my system?
Sadly, there is nothing you can do to speed up the alcohol elimination process. Not drinking coffee, drinking water, taking a shower, or even throwing up. While symptoms of a hangover can sometimes be eased by taking painkillers, the actual process of metabolising alcohol takes as long as it takes.
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How can you tell if alcohol is still in your body?
There are a few ways alcohol can be detected in the body. One is a breathalyser, which can detect alcohol in your breath for up to 24 hours. Urine can also show alcohol either 10-12 hours by traditional tests, whilst blood tests can detect it for up to 12 hours, and saliva can be positive for alcohol from 24 to 48 hours.
Does metabolising alcohol get rid of a hangover?
In short no, just because the alcohol has been metabolised, that doesn't mean your body is brand new once again. Actually, it's quite the opposite. According to the NIAAA, hangover symptoms peak when the blood alcohol concentration in the body returns to about zero, meaning the moment you feel the worst is often when you're returning to normal blood-alcohol levels. Even when the alcohol is gone, sorry to say, the symptoms can last 24 hours or longer.
If you're worried about the amount you're drinking the NHS recommends contacting your GP who can help you take control of your drinking and create a plan to move forward.
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention says two-thirds of adults in 2018 drank alcohol. How much obviously varies, but no one wants to end the day with a DUI because they mistakenly believed they were sober when that was not the case.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), an abundance of factors contributes to how long alcohol stays in your system. Misunderstanding these factors makes it difficult to tell whether you’re legally safe to be behind the wheel and can lead to tragic consequences.
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How long does alcohol stay in your system?
Healthline.com says how long alcohol stays in your system is dependent upon age, weight, whether you’ve eaten food recently, medications, liver disease and the time between drinks. One cup of beer may stay in one person’s system longer than it will for someone else with a different weight.
The ability to metabolize alcohol slows as you age, health.clevelandclinic.org says. Alcohol will have heightened effects on those with lower weights and smaller body sizes. If you’re drinking on an empty stomach, then the effects of alcohol may be enhanced. Different medications can have dangerous side effects when paired with alcohol. Any present liver conditions can harm your ability to handle alcohol and process it. Binge drinking in a short period will also increase the effects of alcohol, all according to health.clevelandclinic.org and healthline.com.
A shot of liquor is estimated to metabolize in an hour, a pint of beer in two, a glass of wine in three, and several drinks could take multiple hours, according to healthline.com.
The NIAAA estimates that one drink would be metabolized and out of your system after three hours, two drinks after slightly over four hours, three drinks by six hours and four drinks by seven. The NIAAA goes on to state that this is, again, dependent on the factors above.
As for driving, healthline.com advises: "The safest thing you can do is not get behind the wheel after you’ve been drinking."
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How long do tests detect alcohol?
The presence of alcohol can be detected through a urine test, breath test and even in your hair, says healthline.com. Alcohol can be measured through your urine within 12 to 48 hours or even 80, depending on how advanced the testing is. Breath tests, known as a breathalyzer, detect alcohol within 24 hours, according to healthline.com.
Health.clevelandclinic.org explains that alcohol can even be detected at the roots of your hair for 90 days after someone has stopped drinking. Healthline.com also says that alcohol can be identified in sweat and blood.
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How long do other substances stay in your system?
According to medicalnewstoday.com, first-time cannabis smokers may have weed detected in their system within three days, while regular smokers of three to four times a week may have the substance detected within five to seven days. Those who smoke cannabis daily can have it detected for up to 30 days.
WebMD.com says nicotine can be found in blood within one to three days, in saliva for up to four days, and in your hair for up to 12 months.
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