This Is How Long Alcohol Really Stays In Your System

Let’s face it: We all know that drinking copious amounts of alcohol isn’t healthy or good for the body for a lot of reasons. Whether you have a little too much fun a few times a year and totally feel it the next morning, or you indulge in a few drinks during the week with minimal effects at all, you may be curious as to what your habits mean for your long-term health.

Too many alcoholic drinks doesn’t just contribute to not-fun next-day effects like a raging hangover. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol use can not only lead to alcohol abuse or dependence, it can also increase your chances of developing chronic conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, liver disease and digestive issues, as well as a weakened immune system. It’s also tied to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.

Also, ignore the myth that your body recognizes different liquors differently. Your liver doesn’t register a glass of wine any differently from a mixed cocktail—it only processes alcohol. If one drink has a higher ABV than the other, your liver will have to work harder.

Both the short-term and long-term effects of drinking too much are likely enough to make you want to get your habits in check and get a better handle on what your limits are or should be. Here, a physician breaks down the alcohol metabolism process and how booze can be detected in your body.

How alcohol is metabolized by body

Alcohol metabolism is partially based on a person’s individual alcohol use habits as well as their genetic makeup, says Suneet Singh, MD, an emergency room physician and medical director of CareHive Health in Austin, Texas.

According to Dr. Singh, the vast majority of the alcohol you drink is metabolized by your liver, while a very small amount is fully digested with no side effects.

“The path alcohol takes from consumption to elimination involves a metabolism process that first starts in the stomach where various enzymes begin the overall breakdown cycle,” he explains. “Most of the alcohol passes unaltered into the small intestine where absorption into the bloodstream takes place, and upon reaching the bloodstream, alcohol is predominantly transported to the liver where over 90% of its metabolism occurs.”