First, you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.
Who does not like a good drink? If you are someone who likes to enjoy his / her drink, then this post is just for you. In our previous posts, we have discussed the abv of wine, whiskey, and similar other topics, but in today’s post, we are going to talk about something else. This post is going to shed some light on how long does alcohol stay in your system. You might be wondering why this question is important. By the time you will end up reading this post, you will have the answer to this question as well.
So, without wasting any time further let us straight away get to the topic. In order to understand this, we need to first of all understand how alcohol is digested? Let us get to that first –
Alcohol Metabolism
When we discuss ‘how long does it take for alcohol to get out of your system’ the first thing you need to know is our body’s digestive system. Our body’s machine is quite unique. It has a strong digestive system – everything that goes in is digested and the waste products come out in the form of urine and fecal material. And, alcohol is no different.
The most important organ that plays a role in alcohol metabolism, and to figure out how long it takes alcohol to leave your body, is LIVER. In simple words, it won’t be wrong to say that the more you drink alcohol, the more your liver has to work in order to digest it. If we talk in terms of numbers, you get a clearer picture.
It takes approximately 60 minutes for the liver to digest one ounce of alcohol. You might ask how much is 1 ounce of alcohol? Well, in comparable terms this is equal to 12 ounces if you are drinking beer and 5 ounces if you are consuming wine, and if you are taking 80 profs. liquor, this comes out to be 1.5 ounces of liquor.
How Does The Process Work?
Now that we know about the basics about how long it takes for alcohol to leave your system, let us get to understand the process better. Well, the process is quite simple and can be explained as:
As soon as you consume alcohol, the body’s digestive system especially the liver gets to its work. Now that you have had your first drink, and the system is underway the answer to this question ‘how long does alcohol stay in the system’ becomes relative to the number of drinks you consume.
As soon as you pop your body’s capacity of drinks or you have more than your fair share of drinks, you start to feel dizzy. Don’t you? This is a sign that the body’s digestive system has now become overwhelmed.
The reason for this is that once the body’s ability to consume alcohol is reached, the alcohol is contained in the tissues and blood. As a result of this, brain signaling is impacted and hence the feeling of dizziness.
Alcohol vs Other Depressant Drugs
This is not to say that alcohol is comparable to other depressant drugs that are prevalent in the market, but it gives you a little idea of how difficult alcohol is to be digested by the body. And, this is the reason that understanding how long does alcohol stay in the system is so important!
As it is easily available than most of the depressant drugs, alcoholism is a much bigger problem than any other addiction. The mechanism of alcohol digestion is a little different when compared to those medical drugs.
Whereas other drugs require breakdown in order to get digested, for alcohol there is no such need. What this means is that alcohol digestion gets started as soon as it enters the system. As a matter of fact, on reaching the stomach, almost 20% of alcohol is directly absorbed by blood vessels and it reaches the blood. The remaining alcohol i.e. 80% of the leftover, is sent to the small intestine for further digestion.
As a result of this, when we consume food with alcohol it slows down the amount of alcohol that reaches the bloodstream. This slower absorption because of being mixed with food reduces the rate at which alcohol is digested and hence it remains in the system for a longer duration. In simple word, the person takes more time to become fully intoxicated. On reaching the bloodstream, the alcohol goes to the liver and is metabolized.
Now coming to the question – how long does alcohol remain in the system, as already stated it entirely depends upon the number of drinks the person has taken.
Conclusion:
Based on all the data mentioned above, it is worth stating that there is no fixed time that anyone can suggest how long does alcohol or beer stay in the system, but based on the absorption rate one can predict the upper limit for a person before he or she gets completely intoxicated.
According to data, the upper limit is generally 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men because of the difference in body chemistry of men vs women (men’s body contains 61% water, whereas women’s body contains 52% of water). As a result of this, women consuming the same amount of alcohol as compared to men have higher blood alcohol concentration.
This is some of the basic information you need to know about how long does it take for alcohol to leave the body, which can help you remain in your senses the next time you sit with your friends to gulp some drinks. Not only can you remain in senses, but also enjoy the time you are going to have with your best buddies.
So, be responsible and enjoy your time to the fullest without having to worry about how to get alcohol out of your system. After all, that’s what life is all about – drinking responsibly and having a great time with the people you love to hang out with – isn’t it so?
