Almost all of us know the effects of drinking on our body and the dire consequences that alcohol has if it is consumed in excess. These consequences are not only seen in the person who consumes it, but it is a problem that affects the entire society. Alcohol has become the fifth leading cause of death worldwide, not only because of the more than 200 diseases it can cause, but also because of the workplace accidents, violence and traffic accidents it causes.
Even so, there are many aspects of alcoholic beverages that many people are unaware of and many myths present in society that are very difficult to eradicate. You ask yourself how long alcohol lasts in blood and urine? In the following oneHOWTO article we will explain how it is eliminated from our body and in how many hours this elimination occurs.
How alcohol is determined in the body
When we introduce alcohol into the body through its liquid intake, it must cross the esophagus, reach the stomach and finally reach the intestine. Once there, the membrane that lines the inside of the intestine absorbs a part of that alcohol, however, it is the walls of the small intestine that absorb most of that alcohol. Once they are absorbed by the walls, the alcohol passes directly into the blood.
Taking into account that alcohol is highly soluble in water, when it reaches the blood it is rapidly transported throughout the body, being absorbed by each of the body’s tissues. Despite this, a part of the alcohol that we have ingested is still present in the bloodstream.
There are different methods for determining amounts of alcohol present in our body, through blood, urine or air tests. The BAC, for the acronym in English of “blood alcohol concentration“, is the breathalyzer test that serves to know how much alcohol a person has ingested. This rate is determined by the percentage of grams of alcohol for each liter of blood that there is by the percentage between the mass and the volume of the alcohol and the person .
But alcohol levels are not stable over time, but vary depending on different factors and decrease with the metabolization of this element. Here we explain how alcohol is eliminated from the blood, the factors involved and how long it takes to disappear.
How to remove alcohol from the blood
Once we introduce alcohol into the body, it has different ways of getting rid of it:
- On the one hand there is the evaporation, through which alcohol volatilizes and leaves our body. This evaporation occurs in different ways, but it is mainly through the air that we exhale and other secretions such as saliva, tears and sweat. The alcohol that evaporates barely reaches 1% of the total ingested.
- Another way to get rid of alcohol is by defecation and excretion. When we urinate we are releasing alcohol that has already been processed by our body, however, we do not accelerate the process. This dispels the myth that if you drink a lot of water, alcohol is eliminated faster from the blood. The alcohol that passes through the urine has already been processed in our body. Nor is it true that if we vomit we eliminate alcohol. This is only possible if we do it just when we have drunk and it has not yet reached the stomach and intestines. Once there, it passes into the bloodstream, so there is no use vomiting. Through this route we eliminate about 10% of the alcohol.
- Finally, the way in which almost 90% of the total alcohol consumed is eliminated is thanks to the metabolization of this in the liver.
How long does blood alcohol last
A healthy functioning liver that can normally metabolize around 10 ml. of alcohol every hour. Depending on factors that we will explain below, this process can be accelerated or slowed down, but in general, after 10 hours after having stopped drinking, the body has already been able to eliminate all the alcohol. Alcohol usually lasts 10 hours in the blood, hours during which the liver is metabolizing it.
Among the conditions that will determine if it takes more or less time to eliminate it from the blood we find:
- The weight of the person.
- How old are you.
- Sex, since men metabolize faster.
- The person’s metabolic rate.
- Blood pressure
- The modality of alcohol.
- The amount of alcohol ingested.
- What we have eaten before drinking.
- The state of health of the liver.
You should know that alcohol is not eliminated once its effects are no longer present. It may be that you are already normal and, however, your liver is still working to metabolize it. Until after 12 hours it is possible to find traces of alcohol in blood.
How long does alcohol last in urine
If we take into account that the alcohol that goes with the urine is the one that has already been metabolized by the liver, we will conclude that as long as there is alcohol in the blood, there will be alcohol in the urine. We have already explained the metabolization process and how long it lasts in the body, and in the case of urine it will be the same. The alcohol lasts about 10 hours in urine and it can go on until 12 o’clock.
This article is merely informative, at oneHOWTO we do not have the power to prescribe any medical treatment or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
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