Finding out how long alcohol can stay in your system is a common question. After all, you do not want to risk trying to drive if there is still any alcohol left in your system. Unfortunately, it’s challenging to get a single definitive answer because many different factors affect the outcome. For instance, you need to measure how much you were drinking, the proof of the alcohol, and your body size as starters. How well your kidneys and liver function also factor into how long alcohol can stay in your system. Then there is the factor of how old you are, whether you are male or female, and if you ate anything before or while drinking.
Thankfully, a pretty good rule to follow should drinking be a part of your routine. Most people would have no residual alcohol left after 2-4 hours if they were drinking a can or two of beer in that time. Anything more than that, the time goes up exponentially. The best way to be sure that there is never any alcohol in your system is to stop drinking. That way, any time you need to go out, you know it is safe to do so without putting yourself or anyone else around you at risk.
At Pines Recovery Life Detox, our team of medical professionals can guide you and your loved ones through how alcohol affects the body. By educating yourself about this substance, you stand a significantly better chance of avoiding alcohol abuse and knowing when to seek treatment.
The Breakdown Process of Alcohol
After you consume alcohol, your body immediately goes to work, trying to break it down. It can effectively break down approximately 20 deciliters of alcohol per hour when your body is healthy. However, anything that puts your body at risk or strains your kidneys or liver can increase the length of time it takes. Your body has to take the alcohol into your liver and metabolize it to no longer affect you. Unfortunately, alcohol hits your bloodstream before it hits your liver. This means you can feel the effects of the alcohol long before it begins to wear off.
Alcohol is different from other drugs that you may consume. Approximately 20% of every type of alcohol you drink is sent directly to your brain as soon as you consume it. The rest goes down through your digestive tract and your bloodstream. This is when the metabolization process begins.
How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your Urine?
There are many myths out there that you can drink lots of water and flush the alcohol out of your system faster. While this does eventually clear it out, it does not stop the effects. It also does not stop the alcohol from showing up in a urine test. You typically do not have any alcohol left in your urine after 12 hours for just a drink or two or up to a couple of days for a heavy or binge drinking event. The problem is, urine tests do not just look for alcohol. They also look for what is left after your body breaks down the alcohol, known as metabolites. This tells the test that you were, in fact, drinking recently, and these can be found days after drinking.
It’s unwise to believe that home remedies or detoxes will remove alcohol from your system. It’s doubtful that any self-detox will be effective. Also, unguided, non-professional self-detox doesn’t address underlying issues contributing to alcohol abuse. What individuals need is professional support like that offered at Pines Recovery Life Detox. We offer several different programs to address alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction, such as:
- Inpatient treatment
- Intensive outpatient program
- Partial hospitalization program
- Transitional living
- Aftercare treatment
Each of these programs is designed to meet the specific needs of an individual. Call us today at 800.263.3869 to learn more about them and what program would be most effective for your requirements.
How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your Bloodstream?
The alcohol you drink goes through your bloodstream differently than the rest of your body. Once it goes through your bloodstream, it begins to break down. As the alcohol breaks down, your liver can filter out the bits of remaining alcohol. This helps to decrease how much you have left in your system. Many people hear about BAC or their “blood alcohol content.” In most states, 0.08% is the legal limit for BAC. This means that your blood is as saturated as possible for you to function. It takes time to break down the alcohol in your blood. After approximately six hours, it is no longer detectable by a blood test. Suppose the alcohol was a reasonable amount that your body could break down. If you consume a lot or your body breaks the alcohol down slower, it could be much longer.
How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your System That a Breathalyzer Can Detect?
When looking to find out how long alcohol can stay in your system for a breathalyzer, the most common answer you will find is around 24 hours. However, that again depends on how quickly or slowly your body metabolizes the alcohol. If you choose to consume a heavy amount of alcohol and your body slowly processes that alcohol, it could be far longer that you show up to a breathalyzer test.
Discover How Pines Recovery Life Detox Can Help You Move Beyond Addiction
If alcohol is controlling your choices or your life, you do have the option to walk away. You do not have to allow alcohol to dictate how you live your life. Instead, you can cut your ties to alcohol and beat addiction. The best option you have is to call an alcohol detox facility like ours at Pines Recovery Life Detox. They watch and guide you through the process of stopping drinking. Since it affects your brain so strongly, trying to give it up on your own could prove dangerous.
Give us a call here at Pines Recovery Life Detox at 800.263.3869, or contact us online. Our goal and passion are to help you get through this process and get your life back. Sobriety is worth fighting for, and it can be so much better for you than drinking ever was.
