How long does alcohol stay in your system?

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Your liver metabolizes alcohol at a roughly fixed rate - about one standard drink per hour, a standard drink being 12 ounces of beer, 5 of wine, or a 1.5-ounce shot. The NIAAA notes nothing meaningfully speeds this: coffee, cold showers, exercise, and food sober your head a little but not your blood. Six drinks at midnight means roughly six hours before your blood alcohol is zero - often breakfast time.

Detection windows by test: breath and blood tests catch alcohol up to about 12 hours, urine tests 12 to 24 hours - longer for the EtG urine marker, up to 72 hours - and hair tests up to 90 days. These matter for workplace, legal, or medical testing.

The practical stakes: sleep does not equal sober. A heavy night can leave you over the driving limit the next morning, which is how many DUI arrests happen. Body size, sex, food, liver health, and drinking pace all shift the numbers, so treat one-drink-per-hour as the optimistic end. If you find yourself needing alcohol out of your system often - morning shakes, drinking to function - that pattern is worth an honest talk with a doctor, and help works.

Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text. It can help you estimate timing for your situation or think through cutting back.

How long does alcohol stay in your system?

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