When alcohol enters your body, it triggers a metabolic process. Metabolism refers to the body’s chemical mechanism for breaking down substances so they can be absorbed or used for energy. This process happens whenever you consume food or beverages.
The liver primarily metabolizes alcohol. Typically, an individual can process about one alcoholic beverage per hour; however, this rate may vary based on factors such as weight, height, gender, and overall body composition.
Continue reading to discover how long alcohol stays in your system, including its presence in different bodily fluids such as blood, urine, saliva, and hair.
The duration for which alcohol remains detectable in your system can differ based on the quantity consumed, the type of testing method employed, and individual physiological characteristics.
Alcohol detection methods can identify its presence in your body for up to 6 hours following your last drink. Breath, saliva, and urine tests can reveal alcohol consumption for 12 to 24 hours after use, while hair follicles can retain traces of alcohol for as long as 90 days. The question is, how long does alcohol stay in your system?
Alcohol’s lifespan in the body ranges from as little as 6 hours to as much as three days. System duration depends on variables such as the amount consumed, drinking history, and level of dependency. In some cases, alcohol’s lifespan in the body can even exceed three days in the most severe cases. Bear in mind that these numbers merely reflect the initial cleansing of alcohol use and not the detox process duration.
Alcohol has a profound negative impact on brain functions as well as other vital organs. Here is a scientifically detailed overview of alcohol’s mental and physical effects.
Alcohol not only soaks up all the water in your body. It also soaks up a considerable amount of brain resources. Since alcohol is a known diuretic, it rapidly seeps precious bodily resources from your body. In the same regard, alcohol’s short-term brain effects on impaired cognitive functions, memory, and balance are perfect examples of brain dehydration. The more dehydrated you are, the worse these impairments will be.
Alcohol is considered toxic to your mind and body. Therefore, when alcohol reaches the brain, its high toxicity levels can incur permanent brain cell damage. The more deprived your mind and body are of water, the more deprived they are of necessary oxygen nutrients. Consequently, the long-term effects of exposing the brain to prolonged alcoholic toxicity can eventually lead to stroke and permanent brain defects.
Alcohol’s depressive effects on the central nervous system trickle down into slowing your digestive and metabolic processes. This is because vital organs like the liver and kidneys are forced to work overtime to process and expel alcohol and its toxic compounds from your body. Another reason digestion is slowed is due to alcohol’s relaxant effects on stomach muscles that play a key role in normal digestive functions.
The presence of alcohol in your system slows and weakens your immune system response. Therefore, if you drink in conjunction with being sick, it will take your body longer to fight off infections or other illnesses. In addition, it makes your body more prone to contracting additional infections or diseases. This is especially more pronounced in individuals who are heavy drinkers. This persistent weakening of the immune system can make you susceptible to increased carcinogen exposure linked to several cancers.
This is a long-term version of prolonged brain cell toxicity. While alcohol can damage brain cells in the short term, continued cell damage will eventually lead to permanent consequences. That means permanent brain damage when enough cells have been harmed. Thankfully, you can stop or prevent these mental harms by seeking immediate consultation from our empathetic care team
Quitting alcohol isn’t so easy because several environmental, mental, and experience-based causes drive people to drink. That’s why people who want to stop feel incapable of doing so for one or more of the following reasons.
Going through traumas like physical or mental abuse, military service, near-death experiences, or other traumas commonly drives people to drink. As with the others on this list, alcohol is always a way to cope or escape these underlying traumas or causes. This means you may have undiagnosed PTSD in conjunction with a drinking problem.
Depression is one of the top causes of substance and alcohol misuse and abuse. Depression and drinking are a dangerous combo for several reasons. For starters, these bouts of sadness induce self-destructive addiction and alcohol abuse cycles, without any care or regard for oneself. Secondly, drinking exacerbates depressive thoughts that could lead to rash, poor decision-making with potentially fatal outcomes. Treating your pre-existing depression disorders through dual-diagnosis treatment can, in turn, help you with your acquired drinking habit.
Alcohol’s depressive effects on the body are especially enticing to individuals with elevated anxiety levels. For people with naturally high anxiety or anxiety disorders, alcohol can feel as if it provides stress alleviation. However, studies find that though alcohol’s initial effects may lower anxiety, it boosts anxiety and stress levels after the fact. This includes exacerbating pre-existing anxiety disorders.
Having a pre-existing substance abuse problem increases the likelihood of developing alcohol dependence. This stems from an underlying dependency producing an unquenchable urge for a better high. This leads to attempting to mix the two for exacerbated effects. This is both an increased risk and danger since drugs and alcohol are a potentially lethal mix.
Addiction doesn’t come without very evident mental, physical, and behavioral cues. Seek immediate therapeutic help if you exhibit any of the following addiction signs.
People with an alcohol addiction will harbor irresistible cravings. Regardless of one’s intentions, one will be incapable of resisting their drinking habit at some point. This is where our medical detox programs, administered under strict doctoral guidance, come into play. We’ll help you overcome these cravings through meticulous withdrawal symptom management techniques as your body cleanses itself of alcohol toxins.
Alcoholic shakes are uncomfortable tremors you experience when your body and mind are craving another drink. These shakes usually occur after the effects of an excessive drinking session begin to taper, onsetting within a few hours of your most recent drink. If you’re experiencing symptoms of alcohol-induced shakes, it’s imperative to contact a detox specialist immediately.
Alcohol dependency manifests itself through elevated anxiety, the longer you go without drinking. For people addicted to alcohol, these stress levels will become increasingly intolerable until a drink calms their nerves. You don’t have to suffer through these alcohol-induced anxiety withdrawals thanks to our revolutionary treatment approach. We’ll minimize your anxiety-based withdrawal symptoms and relieve the stresses associated with alcohol addiction.
Experiencing frequent headaches after the effects of drinking wear off is more than just a hangover. It’s a deeper symptom of a serious alcohol dependency. These headaches range from mild to extreme, depending on the severity of your addiction, among other personalized factors. Alcoholic headaches and migraines alone are enough to send anybody into an alcohol relapse. You can have peace of mind knowing you don’t have to suffer the full extent of these uncomfortable withdrawals.
The most important question isn’t, How long does alcohol stay in your system? It’s “How long will you allow alcohol to keep you from recovery?” We can help you bring permanent closure to the latter question simply by contacting Golden Gate Recovery today. Doing so will lift the burden of addiction that has been hindering a happier and sober you from breaking free. Break free from the bonds that have been holding you hostage to your drinking habits. Reach out to us to free yourself from the clutches of alcohol today.
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Dr. Small’s professional experience encompasses General Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry and Family Medicine. As the founder of Headlands Addiction Treatment Services, Dr. Small and his team have become leaders in the delivery of addiction medicine and psychiatry to treatment programs throughout California and beyond. These compassionate services are reliable, responsive, personable, and evidenced based. Most of the team providers carry multiple board certifications in psychiatry, addiction medicine and family medicine. They recruit the best and brightest addiction medicine professionals to deliver the highest level of treatment.
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