How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Your System?

I’ve been asked this question hundreds of times, by people trying to pass a drug test, by loved ones worried about a relapse, and by folks simply trying to understand how alcohol works in their bodies.

Sometimes it's curiosity. Sometimes it’s fear. Often, it’s the first quiet sign that someone might be rethinking their relationship with alcohol.

So if you're here, wondering how long that last drink is going to linger, whether in your blood, your breath, or your next urine test, here’s everything you need to know.

Alcohol detection times vary by test type:

• Blood: Up to 12 hours

• Urine (standard test): 12 to 48 hours

• Urine (ETG test): Up to 80 to 120 hours (3 to 5 days)

• Breathalyzer: Up to 24 hours

• Saliva: 12 to 24 hours

• Hair: Up to 90 days

These are general windows. Your body, your drinking patterns, and even your hydration level can shift these numbers significantly. Let’s break it down.

Alcohol (ethanol) doesn’t just sit in your stomach. Once you take a sip, it starts moving quickly:

1. Absorption: Alcohol is absorbed through the stomach and small intestine into your bloodstream.

2. Distribution: It travels throughout your body, including to your brain, within minutes.

3. Metabolism: Your liver processes more than 90 percent of the alcohol you drink, using enzymes like alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH).

4. Elimination: A small portion leaves your body through sweat, urine, and breath.

Most of the work falls on your liver, and it does this at a fairly fixed rate. But just because your BAC starts to drop doesn’t mean you’re immediately in the clear. Alcohol can linger in your system and still show up on tests long after you feel sober.

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Your body metabolizes alcohol at a rate of about 0.015 percent BAC (blood alcohol concentration) per hour.

That means:

• One standard drink (a 12-ounce beer, 5-ounce wine, or 1.5-ounce shot) takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to fully process.

• If your BAC is 0.08 percent (the legal driving limit in many places), it will take about 5 to 6 hours to reach zero.

This rate can vary slightly, but not significantly. People often try to outsmart it, drinking coffee, splashing water on their face, sweating it out. But none of that actually changes the speed at which alcohol is broken down. It’s your liver’s show, and it works at its own pace.

Even though the liver works at a relatively steady pace, a lot of factors affect how long alcohol sticks around and how it's detected:

Body Weight and Composition

Larger people have more water in their bodies to dilute alcohol. More muscle means faster processing. More fat means slower.

Biological Sex

Women generally have a higher BAC than men after drinking the same amount, due to differences in enzyme levels and body composition. Hormonal fluctuations can also impact how alcohol is processed.

Age

Metabolism tends to slow down as we age. A 55-year-old processes alcohol differently than a 25-year-old. Older adults also tend to have less water in the body, which can lead to higher BAC levels.

Liver Health

People with liver conditions, including early-stage liver damage from alcohol use, metabolize alcohol slower. Even subtle liver strain can affect processing time.

Food Intake

Drinking on an empty stomach means faster absorption and higher BAC. Food slows down how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream by keeping it in the stomach longer, giving the body more time to metabolize it gradually.

Amount and Frequency of Drinking

One drink might clear in a few hours. A full night of drinking could lead to positive tests for much longer, especially on urine or hair tests. Chronic drinkers may also have more lingering metabolites in their system.

Hydration and Kidney Function

While hydration doesn’t speed up liver metabolism, it can help your kidneys flush out the byproducts of alcohol metabolism. Dehydration can slow this process and make alcohol stay in your system longer.

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Each testing method is designed to detect alcohol at different stages and concentrations. Some are used in emergency medical settings, while others are common in workplace screenings, treatment programs, and legal monitoring.

Blood Test

• Detection Window: Up to 12 hours

• How It Works: Measures your current BAC

• Used For: DUIs, ER visits, clinical assessments

Blood tests are very accurate but only show whether alcohol is currently in your bloodstream. They do not reflect past use once alcohol has been metabolized.

Urine Test (Standard)

• Detection Window: 12 to 48 hours

• How It Works: Looks for alcohol or its metabolites in urine

• Limitations: Less accurate for pinpointing when drinking occurred

This is one of the most common forms of alcohol testing due to its ease of use and relatively long detection window.

Urine Test (ETG)

• Detection Window: Up to 80 to 120 hours

• How It Works: Detects ethyl glucuronide (ETG), a direct metabolite of alcohol

• Used For: Probation, court-mandated tests, rehab monitoring

• Note: This test is very sensitive. Even small exposures to alcohol-containing products like mouthwash or hand sanitizer can sometimes trigger a positive result.

ETG testing is often used to ensure total abstinence. If you're in a program that uses ETG tests, even trace amounts of alcohol can be a concern.

Breathalyzer

• Detection Window: Up to 24 hours, depending on use

• How It Works: Estimates BAC from your breath

• Limitations: Can fluctuate based on recent intake, temperature, and other factors

Breathalyzers are portable, fast, and often used by law enforcement or employers. They're not perfect, but they provide a solid estimate of current intoxication.

Saliva Test

• Detection Window: 12 to 24 hours

• Used For: Some workplace testing, forensic analysis, or rapid screenings

Saliva tests are less invasive than blood tests and can be performed quickly. They're more commonly used in settings where rapid testing is needed.

Hair Follicle Test

• Detection Window: Up to 90 days

• How It Works: Tests for alcohol metabolites in hair strands

• Important: Doesn’t show when you drank, just that you did within a broad window

These are rarely used for alcohol alone, but may be used in comprehensive substance screenings. They are especially useful in long-term monitoring situations.

There’s no proven way to flush alcohol out faster once it’s in your system. Your liver needs time, and time is the only cure.

Here are a few common myths:

• Coffee: Might make you more alert, but won’t lower BAC

• Cold showers: Might wake you up, but won’t sober you up

• Exercise: Can help with alertness and sweating, but doesn’t accelerate alcohol metabolism

• Drinking water: Helps with hydration but not elimination rate

The best you can do is support your body while it does the work. Get rest. Stay hydrated. Eat something nourishing. But understand that nothing overrides biology. If you're still testing positive, it's because your liver hasn't finished the job yet, not because you didn't "flush" enough.

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Sometimes people ask this because they have a court test, a job interview, or they’re in a treatment program where alcohol is off-limits.

What to know:

• ETG tests are the most sensitive. Even small amounts of alcohol can be detected for 3 to 5 days

• Diluting your urine won’t work. It may even flag your test as tampered

• Detox kits and flush products are mostly gimmicks. They can be dangerous or just ineffective

If you're reading this and hoping you pass but also wondering why you drank in the first place, you're not alone. Many people hit this exact moment before reaching out for help.

And that help doesn't have to mean rehab right away. It could start with a conversation, a support group, or a single honest check-in with yourself. There are many paths to getting better, but they usually start with the same thing: recognizing there's something to pay attention to.

When someone searches for how long alcohol stays in their system, it's usually not just out of idle curiosity. Often, it suggests there's some level of concern—maybe you drank more than you intended, or you're in a situation where alcohol use could have serious consequences.

This question can be a quiet red flag.

If you’re worried about passing a test, hiding alcohol use, or feeling like drinking is starting to create problems in your life, it might be time to pause and take that seriously. For a lot of people, the trouble isn’t just one night of drinking. It’s the pattern that keeps repeating, where alcohol feels harder and harder to control.

Alcohol dependence often starts subtly. You drink to relax, to celebrate, to escape, but over time, your tolerance builds. You need more to feel the same effect. You start planning around it. Maybe you try to cut back but can't. Maybe you tell yourself you're fine but keep finding yourself in the same spot: searching for ways to sober up quickly or wondering how long alcohol will be detectable.

That cycle can be dangerous, and not just in terms of legal or social consequences. Heavy drinking affects your brain, your liver, your heart, your sleep, your decision-making. It increases the risk of accidents, injuries, chronic disease, and mental health struggles.

If you're starting to feel like alcohol is calling the shots, you're not stuck. Recognizing the problem is one of the most important steps toward changing it.

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Would you like more information about how long alcohol stays in your system? Reach out today.

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Not everyone who Googles this is ready for treatment. But a lot of people who do are closer than they think.

If you’re here because:

• You feel anxious about a test

• You regret how much you drank

• You’re Googling again after telling yourself last time was the last time

Just know that you’re not the only one.

This question, how long does alcohol stay in your system, has been the beginning of a bigger story for a lot of people.

If it turns out to be yours too, there are people who can help. Some just like you, who made it out and are now helping others find their way.

Whether you’re here because of a one-time night out or something more regular, asking this question is a sign of awareness, and that’s worth something.

I’ve seen people turn things around after years of drinking, and I’ve seen others catch themselves early, just from a moment like this.

If you’re curious, worried, or just ready to stop Googling and start changing, help is out there.

Whatever you decide to do next, start by being honest with yourself. That’s always the first step toward getting better. We’re here for you whenever you’re ready.

We’re Here To Help You Find Your Way

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, there is hope. Our team can guide you on your journey to recovery. Call us today.

CALL US: 844-620-3343

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