Today we will talk about how long does alcohol stays In your System? When you consume anything that you know it has or can be harmful effects on your body, you start thinking about how long it is going to stay there.
How Long Does Alcohol Stay In Your System
The period during which that potentially harmful substance remains in your body increases the chances of developing signs of intoxication. Alcohol is one of those substances that can impair your organs, particularly the brain.
It has the ability to alter your physiology (functions that usually occur inside the body) and can cause severe damages in case of excessive consumption.
If we talk about how long does alcohol stay in your system, we can’t give you an exact time. Why? Because the time for which your body can retain alcohol is influenced by many factors.
That’s why that person’s way of consumption and body’s response decide how long he will be under the influence of alcohol or its effects.
To learn how different factors can influence the stay of alcohol inside the body, we will first look at how your body processes it.
How Alcohol Is Metabolized?
Alcohol when enters the body first reaches the stomach. Where 20 percent of it is absorbed directly into the blood vessels through the stomach lining.
This concentration then circulates throughout the body, reaches the brain, and affects its functioning. The rest of the alcohol when passed from the stomach to the small intestine is then absorbed and enters the bloodstream.
Now, 100% alcohol has come into your blood increasing your BAC (blood alcohol concentration) significantly. After circulation, this alcohol is brought back to the liver where it is metabolized by enzymes.
An enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase present in the liver is responsible for alcohol metabolism. It breaks down alcohol into acetaldehyde which is further broken down and absorbed by the body. After metabolism, its metabolites are eliminated from the body through different means.
This processing cycle of alcohol is based on the amount of it present in one standard drink. The more you drink, the more time your body requires to metabolize alcohol.
Factors Affecting The Rate Of Alcohol Metabolism
Age
As you age, your body slows down the metabolism of alcohol. This causes the BAC of adults significantly higher than young individuals.
Weight
Studies have shown a direct relationship between the body’s weight and alcohol metabolism. People with less weight are not able to metabolize alcohol faster.
Gender
Some experts believe that men have a greater tendency to metabolize alcohol than women. It is said that women have low levels of ADH enzyme that makes their metabolic rate of alcohol slower in comparison to men.
Liver Disease
Since the enzymes to metabolize alcohol are present in the liver, any liver disease can alter their function leaving your normal metabolism ineffective against alcohol.
Medications
Many prescription drugs affect alcohol absorption and rate of metabolism. Besides drinking alcohol, if you are taking those medications that may interfere with its metabolism, it can pose a high risk to your body via inhibiting the metabolism and eliminating alcohol from the body.
Drinking Habit
Your drinking habits have a huge impact on your body’s response to metabolizing it. As said above, if higher amounts of alcohol are present in your blood, it will take more time to metabolize. Moreover, excessive consumption also damages your organs. Particularly the liver which is the main site of alcohol metabolism.
Final Words For How Long Does Alcohol Stay In Your System?
Since the factors we discussed above can affect the way how your body processes alcohol, you should look for them yourself if anyone is there. This way, you can keep your alcohol consumption in check and avoid the severe effects of intoxication significantly.
You may also go for tests to detect the amount of traces of alcohol that is still present after hours of consumption. It can help in the diagnosis of any underlying condition that is interfering with the body’s normal way to metabolize alcohol. After reading this you should consider the stop drinking, here are some interesting facts about Why To Stop Drinking?
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