How Long Does It Take for Alcohol to Exit Your Body?

The amount of time it takes for alcohol to leave your body depends on several factors, including your weight, metabolism, age, gender, and how much you’ve consumed. On average, the body processes alcohol at a rate of approximately 0.015% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) per hour.…..CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLES HERE

This means that if your BAC is 0.08%, the legal limit for driving in many places, it will take about five hours for your body to eliminate alcohol completely. However, this can vary widely from person to person.

When you drink, alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream through your stomach and small intestine, then metabolized primarily by the liver. The liver can process roughly one standard drink per hour.

A standard drink is generally defined as 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits (like vodka or whiskey). The liver breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde, a toxic substance, and then further into acetic acid, which the body can eliminate.

If you consume alcohol at a faster rate than your liver can process, the unprocessed alcohol remains in your bloodstream, leading to intoxication. Other factors, such as drinking on an empty stomach or combining alcohol with certain medications, can also affect how long alcohol stays in your system.

It’s also important to note that while alcohol may leave your bloodstream over several hours, its effects on your body, like impaired judgment or reaction times, may linger even after the BAC has returned to zero.

Therefore, it’s always safest to wait a significant amount of time, and even consider a full night’s rest, before engaging in activities like driving.