How long does alcohol stay in your system?

What a standard drink is

In the United States, one standard drink contains about 14 grams, or about 0.6 fluid ounces, of pure alcohol. CDC states that amount as 0.6 ounces (14 grams). NIAAA says it is the alcohol in a 12-ounce can of regular beer at 5% alcohol by volume, a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12% alcohol by volume, and a 1.5-ounce shot of distilled spirits at 40% alcohol by volume. CDC calls that 40% shot 80 proof.

Those same 12 ounces at 10% alcohol by volume are two standard drinks, not one. CDC says the liver can process only small amounts of alcohol.

Sources: What is a standard drink?; About standard drink sizes

Beer, wine, and liquor, counted as standard drinks

NIAAA lists regular beer at 5% alcohol by volume as 12 fl oz for 1 standard drink and 16 fl oz for 1⅓. A 750 ml bottle of table wine at 12% is 5 standard drinks. NHTSA says "A drink is a drink," whether one shot, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or one 12-ounce beer. No cited source states hours for one beer or one glass.

Sources: The basics: defining how much alcohol is too much; About standard drink sizes; Drunk driving

What affects how long alcohol lasts

NIAAA says the body begins to metabolize alcohol within seconds and proceeds at a steady rate, regardless of how much a person drinks or of attempts to sober up with caffeine or by other means. Most of the alcohol is broken down in the liver. The rate is steady in one person and varies widely, including with liver size, body mass, and genetics. StatPearls on ethanol toxicity says elimination is usually zero-order, approximately 10 to 25 mg/dL eliminated per hour. An archived StatPearls chapter states 20 to 25 mg/dL per hour in most individuals. Neither rate is a time to drive.

NHTSA says more body weight means more body water, which dilutes alcohol and lowers BAC. NHTSA says women generally have less water and more body fat per pound than men, and that alcohol does not enter fat cells as easily, so more remains in women's blood. NIAAA says a woman and a man of the same weight, after the same amount, tend to leave the woman with the higher BAC, because women have proportionally less body water.

NIAAA says an empty stomach increases absorption and blood alcohol compared with a full stomach, and BAC builds if you drink again before earlier drinks are metabolized. MedlinePlus says high-carbohydrate and high-fat foods can slow absorption, and stronger drinks tend to be absorbed faster. NHTSA says food slows absorption, and fast drinking produces a higher BAC than the same alcohol over a longer time.

NIAAA lists age, tolerance, sex, speed of drinking, medications, and food as factors that can turn impairment into an overdose. Opioids or sedative hypnotics, including zolpidem, eszopiclone, diazepam, and alprazolam, can raise that risk, and so can an over-the-counter antihistamine. MedlinePlus says alcohol can strengthen many medicines, so ask a clinician before drinking on any medicine, including an over-the-counter one. NHTSA says some medications and illegal drugs increase impairment and driving risk. NIAAA defines binge drinking as a BAC of 0.08% (0.08 grams of alcohol per deciliter) or higher, typically 4 or more drinks for women or 5 or more for men in about 2 hours.

Sources: The basics: defining how much alcohol is too much; Ethanol toxicity; Ethanol; Alcoholic ketoacidosis (archived); Drunk driving; Alcohol use and safe drinking; Understanding the dangers of alcohol overdose

Why feeling sober is not a BAC of zero

NHTSA says people often think they are fine after several drinks, and failing to recognize impairment is often a symptom of it. A person will likely be too impaired to drive before looking or feeling drunk. NIAAA says alcohol can impair driving without a noticeable buzz, and BAC can keep rising after you stop or pass out, because alcohol in the stomach and intestine still enters the blood.

MedlinePlus says symptoms of being drunk can occur below the legal definition, and frequent drinkers may not feel them until a higher level. None of the cited pages states that water lowers BAC. Cold showers, hot coffee, and walking do not reverse an alcohol overdose.

Sources: Drunk driving; The basics: defining how much alcohol is too much; Alcohol use and safe drinking; Understanding the dangers of alcohol overdose

A hangover is not alcohol still in your system

NIAAA says hangover symptoms peak when blood alcohol concentration returns to about zero and can last 24 hours or longer. Attention, decision-making, and coordination can still be impaired. How long that lasts is on how long a hangover lasts. There is no hangover cure other than time. Coffee, a shower, or a morning drink will not cure one.

MedlinePlus says alcohol stays in the blood until the liver breaks it down. Effects may appear within 10 minutes and peak at around 40 to 60 minutes. That peak is not clearance. The enzyme steps are on alcohol metabolism.

Sources: Hangovers: causes, remedies, and safety; Alcohol use and safe drinking

Do not drive after drinking

MedlinePlus says never drink alcohol and drive a car. NHTSA says if you are drinking, do not drive. Even a small amount can affect driving. At .08 grams of alcohol per deciliter, crash risk increases exponentially. That level or higher is illegal in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, except Utah, where the limit is .05. In 2024, 2,028 people were killed in crashes where a driver had a BAC of .01 to .07 g/dL. Drivers at .08 are approximately 4 times more likely to crash than drivers with a BAC of zero.

Call 911 if you suspect an alcohol overdose. Do not wait for every symptom. A person who has passed out can die. NIAAA lists mental confusion, difficulty remaining conscious, vomiting, seizures, slow breathing (fewer than 8 breaths per minute), irregular breathing (10 seconds or more between breaths), slow heart rate, clammy skin, no gag reflex, and extremely low body temperature.

• Confusion, vomiting while barely responsive, slow or irregular breathing, or a person you cannot wake: call 911. That is alcohol poisoning, not a hangover.

Sources: Alcohol use and safe drinking; Drunk driving; Understanding the dangers of alcohol overdose

Where Joyrise fits, and where it does not

These sources are not Joyrise directions. Joyrise is an Alcohol Metabolizing Aid: a DHM supplement built around dihydromyricetin. The capsule label says to take 3 capsules while consuming alcohol, or before bed. Do not exceed 3 servings (9 capsules) per day. Much of the alcohol-related DHM evidence is preclinical, and Joyrise does not lower BAC, reverse impairment, or make driving safe. Read the full directions and warnings on our Alcohol Metabolizing Aid capsules page before you buy.

Sources: Joyrise capsules: product page and current label; Shen et al., 2012: DHM and alcohol-related signaling