How Long Does Alcohol Stay In Your System?
There’s no standard, absolute answer to the question of how long does alcohol stay in your system.
In general, an average person whose body is functioning properly will usually be able to eliminate about one standard drink of alcohol in one hour. Examples of a standard drink include:
- 12 ounces of beer that is 5% alcohol by volume (ABV)
- 8-10 oz of malt liquor (7% ABV)
- 5 oz of wine (12% ABV)
- 3-4 oz of fortified wine (17% ABV)
- 1.5 oz of vodka, rum, or tequila (40% ABV)
However, the length of time your body retains alcohol can differ from someone else’s based on the answers to several personal questions, such as:
- What is your age, gender, and body weight?
- What type of alcoholic beverages were you drinking?
- How much did you drink?
- Did you eat before or while you were consuming alcohol?
- How long have you been using alcohol, and how much do you typically drink?
- Do you have any medical conditions that can affect metabolization? (Metabolization is the body’s process of breaking alcohol into its component parts so it can be eliminated.)
- Have you also been taking certain medications or recreational drugs?
How Long Is Alcohol Detectable in a Drug Test?
If someone asks the question, “How long does alcohol stay in your system?” because they want to know how long they may test positive on a drug screening, that answer can also vary.
Two of the more influential factors for the detection window for alcohol include:
- Which type of sample are you required to provide for analysis?
- Which substances are the test designed to detect?
Which Type of Sample Is Being Analyzed?
Alcohol is not evenly detectable throughout your body. Thus, the amount of time after your last drink that you may test positive can vary depending on the sample you provide. General detection windows for the five most commonly analyzed samples include:
- Blood: 6-12 hours
- Breath: 12-24 hours
- Saliva: About 12 hours
- Urine: 12-24 hours (though some specialized tests may be able detect alcohol for three days or longer after your last drink)
- Hair: 90-120 days (three to four months)
It’s also important to remember that you may test positive even after all the alcohol has left your body. This is because substances called metabolites are created when your body breaks down alcohol prior to eliminating it.
Metabolites may remain in your system longer than the alcohol itself. For example, some metabolites will be absorbed into hair follicles, which is why a hair test can find proof of prior alcohol use months after you quit drinking.
What Type of Test Are You Taking?
Drug screens don’t automatically reveal the presence of all substances in your system. Most are specially calibrated to only detect certain drugs. Examples of common drug screens include:
- 5-panel screen – This type of drug test is designed to detect cannabis (marijuana), amphetamine, cocaine, phencyclidine (PHP), and opiates (a category that includes heroin, fentanyl, and many prescription painkillers).
- 7-panel screen – In addition to the five drugs listed above, a 7-panel screen will also detect barbiturates and benzodiazepines.
- 10-panel screen – This test builds on the 7-panel screen by adding MDMA (ecstasy), methaqualone (Quaaludes), and propoxyphene (a narcotic pain reliever that is no longer permitted to be used in the U.S.) to the list of detectable substances.
In other words, if you are taking a standard drug screen like the ones that many employers require hew hires to take, there’s a good chance that the test won’t even be looking for alcohol.
Examples of circumstances where you may be tested for alcohol in your system include:
- If you are detained for suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol.
- If you have been involved in a motor vehicle crash.
- If you are working in an industry such as transportation that requires alcohol tests.
- If you are in treatment for addiction or are living in a sober living residence.
Can I Get Alcohol Out of My System Faster?
Maybe you’re still feeling the effects of alcohol and you want to quickly regain full control of your body and mind. Perhaps you’re about to be tested for alcohol and you suspect you won’t pass. Whatever the reason, you need to find the answer to what has suddenly become an urgent question: How can you get alcohol out of your system faster?
There’s one simple answer to this question: You can’t.
Regardless of what you may have heard elsewhere, you can’t speed up your body’s metabolization processes. Nor can you eat or drink something that will effectively mask the presence of alcohol in your body.
The only way to eliminate alcohol from your system is to stop drinking and wait for your body’s natural processes to take effect.
Unfortunately, if you have become addicted to alcohol, this can be difficult to do. For some people, quitting drinking can even be dangerous to their health.
What Happens During Withdrawal
Once your body adapts to the continual presence of alcohol, abruptly stopping or even significantly reducing your alcohol use can trigger both physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms.
Common physical effects of alcohol withdrawal include:
- Headache
- Excessive perspiration
- Racing heart rate
- Elevated blood pressure
- Nausea
- Tremors or shakiness
- Insomnia
The psychological impact of alcohol withdrawal can include:
- Anxiety
- Agitation and irritability
- Depression
- Confusion
If you have been drinking heavily for an extended period, you may be at risk of developing a particularly dangerous set of symptoms that are collectively referred to as alcohol withdrawal delirium or delirium tremens (DTs).
Only about 3%-5% of people who go through alcohol withdrawal develop the DTs, which include:
- Diminished awareness of your surroundings
- Auditory, visual, and/or tactile hallucinations
- Dangerously high body temperature
- Extremely rapid heart rate
- Tics, twitches, and tremors
- Seizure
If you don’t receive proper care in a timely manner, the DTs can be fatal. This highlights the value of entering a detox program, where you can receive both medical and therapeutic support to ease your discomfort and safeguard your health during withdrawal.
Find Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Atlanta
Completing detox can be an important first step on your path toward a healthier life in recovery. But if you don’t get the follow-on support you need, you may quickly become overwhelmed by your urges and start drinking again.
Valor Behavioral Health offers personalized outpatient programming to help adults and adolescents develop the skills that will empower them to resist relapse and build a solid foundation for an alcohol-free future. Our team of compassionate experts will work closely with you to understand how you have been impacted by alcoholism, then develop a customized plan to address your unique needs.
With our help and a concerted effort on your part, you can free yourself from the chains of compulsive alcohol use. To learn more about how we can help, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
