As you’re drinking, alcohol can affect your breathing, heart rate, and thinking within 10 minutes. The peak effects occur about 40 minutes to one hour after drinking. However, how long alcohol stays in each person’s system depends on a range of factors.
When you drink alcohol, your digestive tract absorbs it. From there, the alcohol enters your bloodstream. It stays in your blood until your liver can break down and remove the alcohol from your body.
The body breaks down alcohol in a few ways, but the main one is through two enzymes that separate the alcohol molecule. These enzymes break the molecule into alcohol byproducts and eventually into water and carbon dioxide, which your body can then remove. This process takes time, so the more quickly you drink, the more time the liver needs to catch up.
Your blood alcohol level measures how much alcohol is in your blood. If you drink alcohol near the speed at which the liver can break it down, your blood alcohol level will remain low. If you drink alcohol more quickly than your liver can process it, your blood alcohol level will rise, and that’s when you may feel the effects of the alcohol more strongly.
The blood alcohol concentration (BAC) test is the most common way to measure alcohol in the blood, and it can detect alcohol for up to 12 hours after drinking. Other blood tests measure substances that are a result of drinking alcohol, and those are used mainly to check if people with alcohol use disorder have drunk alcohol in the past few weeks.
Every person’s body responds differently to alcohol, but a few main factors influence how your body can process the alcohol you drink.
Type of Alcohol
The type of alcohol you drink affects how your body can process it. Drinks with higher alcohol percentages, such as hard liquor, are absorbed in your bloodstream more quickly than wine and beer. Wine, having a slightly higher alcohol content, can make your BAC rise more quickly than beer.
Medications
Some medications can increase your BAC or cause other effects when combined with alcohol. If your healthcare provider prescribes you medication, check with them or your pharmacist to see if there are any interactions with alcohol. Also, alcohol can affect the way your body processes the medication or how it responds to the medication.
Food
Eating before and while drinking can help slow how quickly your BAC rises. Foods high in carbohydrates and fats can slow down the rate at which your body absorbs alcohol, which means your liver has more time to process it.
Individual Factors
Your size, age, and biological sex can all affect how your body responds to alcohol. Smaller and younger people tend to feel the effects of alcohol more strongly, as do people assigned female at birth. You also may have a sensitivity to alcohol that’s not directly related to any of these factors. It’s important to know how your body responds to alcohol and plan accordingly.
Understanding your body and how it processes alcohol is key for drinking safely. Try to pay attention to standard drink sizes to best estimate how much alcohol you’re consuming. Standard drinks include:
- 12 ounces of beer
- 8 ounces of malt liquor
- 5 ounces of wine
- One shot of liquor
Other tips for safely consuming alcohol include:
- Make arrangements ahead of time for a designated driver, public transportation, or a rideshare.
- Try to eat before and during drinking.
- Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or other non-alcoholic drinks.
- Check with your healthcare provider about potential interactions with your medications.
- Ask your family about any history of alcohol use disorder.
These tips can allow you to have a fun but safe time when enjoying your favorite alcoholic drinks.
