After a hard night of raving (and having a drink...or four), have you ever thought about just how long alcohol stays in your body? And we're not just talking about your stomach and liver. We’re also talking about your bloodstream, urine and even your breath. If you have to be at work bright and early the next day, there's no doubt that you've probably thought about it at one point or another. So, we're going to help solve this mystery for you by taking a closer look at how long alcohol really stays in your system – and not just after a night of partying. We're going to cover how long one social drink stays in your system as well. We'll even tell you if a hangover supplement like RaveAid can help you get back on your feet after a major rager.
First Off, It’s A Little Different For Everyone
Before we take a deeper dive into this subject, we want to make one thing very clear: There is no standard period of time that alcohol stays in your system. The time frame actually varies from person to person.
When you drink, alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream through both your stomach and the walls of your small intestine. From there, it goes on to affect all of your major organs. There are various factors that help dictate how long alcohol stays in your system, including your weight, age and gender, as well as the size of your liver and the alcohol content of the drink(s) you consume. It also depends on your tolerance to alcohol – heavy drinkers tend to metabolize alcohol from their system more quickly than people who drink once in a blue moon.
How Does Alcohol Leave Your Body?
Alcoholic beverages are eliminated from your body primarily through your liver. The liver metabolizes about 95% of the alcohol consumed. The other 5% is carried out in any liquid that leaves your body – sweat, urine, saliva, etc.
On average, your liver can process and eliminate about one standard-sized alcoholic drink per hour. If you consume more than one drink per hour, keep in mind that your liver will still metabolize alcohol at the same rate. When you flood your system with alcohol, you'll start to feel the buzz.
How Long Does Alcohol Stay In Your Blood?
Alcohol can be most accurately detected in your blood between six and twelve hours after your last drink, but it may appear in a blood test up to 36 hours later. This is something to keep in mind for several reasons, like if you:
- Are suspected of drinking and driving.
- Are drunk in public.
- End up with alcohol poisoning.
- Work in a profession or are part of a program that prohibits drinking
In these cases, you most certainly need to be aware of how much alcohol you're consuming because it could all show up if you're required to take a breathalyzer or blood alcohol test. Here's a chart of blood alcohol ranges and how each level can affect your health.
|
Blood Alcohol Level Range |
Physical Effects |
|
0.03. |
At this point, you may feel the buzz. You might also think that you're good, but trust us. Your judgment, vision and coordination are off. |
|
0.05. |
At this stage, you might feel very relaxed. So relaxed that your reaction time is delayed, or you might have trouble focusing on moving objects. |
|
0.08. |
If you hit this level, you are legally drunk, and you and everyone else will know it. Your balance, speech, reaction time, judgment and self-control are all fading away by this point. |
|
0.10. |
You're sipping and probably slurring your words at this level. Yup. You're that annoying person who's ruining the party. |
|
0.20. |
This is black-out drunk territory. You might also stagger, get confused easily or throw up. |
|
0.40. |
You are in very bad shape. In fact, this is coma-level, and you could even die if your blood alcohol level gets this high. |
How Long Can Alcoholic Beverages Stay In Your Urine?
If you think you're home free when it comes to determining if you actually got wasted a few days ago, you're not. Urine tests can spot alcohol in your system days later by detecting metabolites like ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate. So, even if alcohol itself isn’t present in your bloodstream, it will show up in urine samples. Your hangover might be long gone, but the evidence of your fun night out is still hanging around down in Whiz Town.
On average, urine tests can detect alcohol in your system anywhere from 12 to 48 hours after your last drink. More advanced urine tests can show that alcohol was present in the system up to 80 hours after your last drink. This 80-hour detection period may only apply to heavy drinking, which ranges between six or seven drinks.
How Long Does Alcohol Stay On Your Breath?
A breathalyzer test is the quickest way to check alcohol consumption on the spot. This is why it is used in cases of suspected drinking and driving — it can give results in seconds by quickly analyzing your BAC (blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol content).
A breathalyzer test can detect alcohol in your system up to 24 hours after drinking. In the case of a suspected drinking and driving incident, a BAC above 0.02 is considered unsafe. To get the most accurate results, a breathalyzer test should be administered at least fifteen minutes after drinking and one minute before smoking.
Alcohol Can Be Found In A Hair Follicle
Although alcohol is generally tested through blood, urine and breath, a hair sample can also give away the fact that you were partying a little too hard. Using the EtG test, alcohol can be detected in your hair for up to three months after being consumed, although this can be expensive and ineffective if testing color-treated hair.
Rough Night? Recover Faster With A Hanger Supplement
It’s interesting to know how long alcohol can be detected in your body using various methods and samples. However, excessive drinking is never a good idea. Should you overdo it, it's important to protect your body at all costs from the effects of heavy drinking. Our scientifically developed hangover supplement helps prevent neurotoxic damage with serotonin. It also flushes toxins from your system and boosts your recovery after a night of sips, shots and more.
If you’re heading out for the night and you know you might drink more alcohol than you probably should, take the necessary precautions to protect your body and stay safe. Go out with a friend who will make sure that you get home safely, and take RaveAid hangover supplement before and after the party to speed up the recovery process.
If you have any questions about RaveAid, contact us today.