What you’ll learn
We’ll cover how alcohol leaves your body, how long it’s detectable in your system, and the factors that affect these timelines. We’ll also debunk common myths about quickly sobering up and discuss when you may need to talk to a professional about your drinking.
Wondering how long that can of beer or glass of wine will stay in your system? Your body processes alcohol through your liver at a pace of about one drink per hour. But here’s the thing: how long it’s detectable in your blood, breath, or urine varies based on factors like your age, body size, and metabolism. If you’re here because you’re curious, concerned, or thinking about making changes to your drinking, we’re here with clear answers and judgment-free support.
Understanding how alcohol leaves your body
When you drink, alcohol gets absorbed quickly because it doesn’t need to be digested. It passes through the walls of your stomach and small intestine straight into your bloodstream. From there, it travels throughout your body, affecting your brain, kidneys, and liver.
Your liver does the heavy lifting when it comes to metabolizing, or processing, alcohol. It uses enzymes to break alcohol down in three steps: first into acetaldehyde (a toxic compound), then into acetate, and finally into carbon dioxide and water. These byproducts leave your body through your breath, sweat, and urine. If you’ve noticed a distinct smell after drinking, it’s the result of these compounds being eliminated.
The average person can process about one drink per hour. However, your ability to metabolize alcohol is affected by your age, body size, sex, health, hydration, and whether you’ve eaten. Once alcohol is in your bloodstream, you have to wait for your liver to process and eliminate it. Your liver works at one steady rate, no matter what. This means there’s no shortcut to sobering up, and time is the only solution.
Understanding how your body works helps you make informed decisions about your drinking. Whether you’re just curious or concerned about your relationship with alcohol, we’re here to give you the answers you need and the support you’re looking for.
How long can alcohol be detected in your system?
How long alcohol can be detected depends on the testing method. Just because alcohol shows up on a test doesn’t mean you’re still impaired. Traces called metabolites can stick around long after the effects wear off. Here’s a breakdown:
| Body fluid/sample | Testing method | Window of detection |
| Blood | Blood alcohol test | Up to 12 hours after drinking |
| Breath | Breathalyzer | 12 to 24 hours |
| Urine | Ethanol urine test, ethyl glucuronide (EtG) urine test, and ethyl sulfate (EtS) urine test | Depending on test, ranges from 12 to 72 hours |
| Saliva | Oral fluid swab | Up to 24 hours |
| Hair | Small lock cut near scalp | Typically up to 6 months, but can be detected for years |
| Skin | Transdermal monitor | Continuous detection while worn |
Factors that affect how long alcohol stays in your system
Have you ever wondered why the same two drinks hit you harder on Thursday than they did on Saturday? There’s no universal timeline for how long alcohol stays in your system because your body will process it differently every time. There are several factors affecting alcohol metabolism that come into play. Some you can control and some you can’t. How quickly or slowly you metabolize alcohol isn’t a reflection on your health or who you are as a person. It’s just biology and chemistry doing their thing.
Here’s what influences how long alcohol stays in your system:
- Body weight and composition: People with lower body weight or higher body fat percentage will reach a higher BAC more quickly. Why? Alcohol doesn’t absorb into fat tissue, only into the water in your body. Less body water means a higher concentration of alcohol in your bloodstream.
- Age: Your metabolism slows down as you get older, which means it takes longer to get alcohol out of your system. You drinking a beer at 25 versus you drinking that same beer at 45 will process it at different speeds.
- Biological sex: Women typically process alcohol more slowly than men due to higher body fat percentages, lower amounts of digestive enzymes in the stomach to process alcohol, and smaller overall body mass.
- Liver health: Because your liver does most of the work when it comes to eliminating alcohol, any damage will slow down how fast it works. Conditions like fatty liver disease or hepatitis can affect how efficiently your body processes alcohol.
- Hydration: Dehydration increases the concentration of alcohol in your blood, making the effects of alcohol stronger. Starting your night well-hydrated and alternating alcoholic drinks with water will slow down your drinking and help your body work more efficiently.
- Food intake: Drinking on an empty stomach can cause alcohol to enter your bloodstream faster, leading to quicker intoxication. Having a meal beforehand (even a quick yogurt with nuts) slows alcohol absorption and gives your body more time to break it down.
- Medications: Some medications can slow how your body breaks down alcohol or change how it’s absorbed, possibly leading to a higher rate of blood alcohol content (BAC). This includes GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy, which slow down digestion. Other medications can have dangerous interactions with alcohol. For instance, Tylenol combined with alcohol can cause liver damage. Sedatives, opioids, and other medications that cause drowsiness can lead to dangerous levels of impairment when mixed with alcohol.
Always check with your healthcare provider about whether your medications interact with alcohol.
Common myths about alcohol “leaving your system”
We’ll cut to the chase. Once alcohol has reached your bloodstream, there’s nothing you can do to speed up the process of getting it out. The only thing that can sober you up is time. Here are some popular myths about sobering up quickly, what’s actually happening, and why they don’t work.
Can drinking coffee help me sober up quickly?
No. While coffee makes you feel more awake and masks the feeling of being drunk, it doesn’t speed up how your body metabolizes alcohol.
Will taking a cold shower sober me up?
Cold showers have no impact on lowering your BAC. A cold shower can wake you up or reduce feelings of fatigue by stimulating parts of the brain related to alertness. Like coffee, it makes you feel more awake without actually sobering you up.
Does exercising make your body process alcohol faster?
No, exercise will not speed up your metabolism rate to help you process alcohol faster. The liver metabolizes alcohol at a steady rate, regardless of what activity you’re doing.
Do energy drinks make you less drunk?
No, stimulants like the caffeine in energy drinks don’t speed up the elimination of alcohol. In fact, studies have shown that people drinking energy drinks mixed with alcohol had the same BAC as those drinking alcohol without energy drinks.
Does greasy food soak up alcohol?
Greasy food only helps soak up alcohol if you eat it before you start drinking. Fatty or greasy food eaten beforehand keeps alcohol in the stomach longer, where absorption is slower. Eating greasy foods the day after may make your hangover worse by upsetting your stomach, and it won’t help you sober up.
When to talk to a licensed provider about drinking habits
Have you thought about talking to someone about your drinking? Sometimes, having a fun time with a few drinks turns into more than you planned, and more often than you planned. If you’re not sure if alcohol is starting to take a toll on your life, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I need to drink to relax? Or to have fun?
- Do I have trouble cutting back on drinking and sticking with it?
- Have my hangovers gotten worse and interfered with work or school?
- Have friends or family said something to me about my drinking?
- Have I gotten into trouble because of drinking?
- Am I starting to drink more often or earlier in the day?
If you’ve answered “yes” to some of these questions and you’re concerned, reaching out to a professional can help. You’re not alone in this. More people than ever are rethinking their relationship with alcohol, and many are trying “sober curious” experiments (such as “Dry January” or “Sober October”) to see how cutting back or quitting improves their mood, health, and relationships.
Curious about making a change? At QuickMD, we can provide confidential same-day telemedicine visits with licensed providers in most states. We can help you create a realistic plan that works for your life, with support like counseling and peer support groups that connect you with others who get it.
Safe steps toward alcohol recovery with QuickMD
Changing your relationship with alcohol isn’t just a single moment in time where you switch it off. It’s an ongoing process of healing, trial and error, successes and setbacks, and finding what works for you. Many people reduce or stop drinking safely with the right professional support. Finding that support is more accessible than you may think.
Here at QuickMD, our team of licensed providers specializes in helping people reshape the role alcohol plays in their lives through personalized virtual care from the comfort and privacy of home. Whether you’re exploring your options, actively working on cutting back, or maintaining progress you’ve already made, we’re here to support you at every step. You’ll get help from providers who understand that recovery looks different for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to sober up enough to drive?
It typically takes about one hour for the average person to process one standard drink. However, it could take longer based on how much you drank, your body weight, biological sex, and overall health. If you’re ever unsure, don’t drive. Sometimes, even if you feel sober, your BAC may still be over the limit.
Does alcohol stay in your system longer if you drink often?
It can. Frequent or heavy drinking can damage the liver over time, which slows down how it processes alcohol. If your liver is impaired, alcohol will stay in your system longer than it would for someone with a healthy liver.
How can I tell if my liver is processing alcohol normally?
Only a blood test and evaluation by a clinician can truly assess your liver function. However, you should seek medical attention if you see any of these warning signs: yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), prolonged intoxication, abdominal swelling or pain, or easy bruising.
How long does it take for all traces of alcohol to leave the body?
Depending on how much you drank, alcohol is usually gone within 6 to 24 hours. Metabolites stick around longer, though, and can be detected in urine up to 80 hours and in hair up to 6 months.
Does body weight affect how long alcohol stays in your system?
Yes. Someone with lower body weight will typically have a higher BAC than someone heavier who drank the same amount. Body composition also factors into your BAC. Since fat tissue doesn’t absorb alcohol, people with higher body fat percentages may feel alcohol’s effects more strongly.
