As stated by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream with the first sip of it. Its effects take only about 10 minutes to kick in, which is potentially fast even if you don’t notice them right away.
What happens when you drink alcohol?
Immediately you ingest alcohol, about 20% of it is absorbed into the blood through the stomach while 80% goes to the small intestines.
Some of it is also absorbed into the blood through the small blood vessels in your mouth and tongue. Once it gets into the bloodstream, it is carried around different organs of the body within 30-90 minutes. This is why its effects begin lingering on your body very quickly.
Some of the temporary effects you might begin to notice while drinking includes:
- Impulsive behavior.
- A feeling of relaxation or drowsiness.
- Slurred or slowed speech.
- Difficulty in coordination.
- Impaired judgment
- Changes in mood.
- A sense of euphoria or giddiness.
Some effects such as memory loss/blackouts may develop after progressive drinking. You will get to know more about the effects of alcohol on your body here.
However, these effects might be more pronounced in some people than others.
Why is it different for each person?
The potency of the effects of alcohol may differ from one person to the next depending on the following factors:
- Type of drink
- Full or empty stomach
- Blood alcohol concentration (BAC)
- Body size and sex
- Metabolism
- Tolerance and dependence
- Menstrual cycle
Type of drink
What you drink makes a significant difference in how it will affect your body. The alcohol content of different drinks or brands will determine how soon they kick in.
For instance, a soft drink containing up to 0.5% alcohol by volume may take a longer time to kick in compared to carbonated drinks such as whiskey sodas and the like.
Due to this distinction, a level ground was developed to help determine what is a standard drink. In the US, a standard drink contains 0.6 ounces, or 14 grams, of pure alcohol. This metric might, however, differ geographically as in Australia, the measure stands at 10 grams of alcohol.
Is your stomach empty?
Food in the stomach slows down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. This way, it will stay longer in the stomach before passing to the small intestine and therefore, delay the onset of its effects.
But on an empty stomach, alcohol will be absorbed quickest into the small intestines and bloodstream consecutively. You will thus experience its effects sooner.
Blood alcohol concentration
Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) is the measure of the amount of alcohol in a person’s blood at any given time. It is expressed as a percentage and calculated in grams per 100ccs (ml) of blood.
The alcohol content in the blood can be measured through a urine sample test, breath test, saliva, or blood sample. With the breath alcohol test being the most common, it uses a breathalyzer to estimate the amount of alcohol in the air you breathe out.
The figure obtained is your BAC. As this number rises, so does your intoxication. Below is a table on some of the effects experienced at different levels of BAC.
| BAC | EFFECTS |
| .02 – .04% | Lightheadedness, relaxation, feeling high, and minor impaired judgment. |
| .05 – .07% | Minor memory impairment, relaxation, rapid emotional changes, and euphoria. |
| .08 – .10% | Fatigue, poor motor coordination, and balance, slurred speech, total impaired judgment. At this point, one is legally impaired. |
| .11 – .15% | More pronounced speech and motor impairment. Drunk. |
These effects intensify as BAC rises. BAC is usually at its peak about an hour after drinking. Generally, anything above .04% mark is considered dangerous territory.
If you’re a social drinker, check out one of our write-ups on what BAC levels you should quit drinking.
Body size and sex
Do you remember the laws of diffusion? The more the molecules (or mass) the slower the rate of diffusion. The same goes for alcohol.
It takes more time for a heavier person to stagger or have slurred speech than a lightweight individual. I’m pretty sure this is a vivid observation you’ve made. This is because the alcohol will have a larger surface area to spread to hence resulting in a lower BAC.
Studies have shown that women experience the lethal effects of alcohol poisoning quicker after ingesting the same amount of alcohol as men.
This is attributable to the fact that women are averagely smaller than men and therefore have lesser fluids in their bodies to distribute alcohol.
Metabolism
Metabolism is the chemical process by which our bodies convert food into energy. This process is unique to every individual. It is the reason why persons with high metabolism rates could easily get away with eating junk and still maintain a good physique.
In the case of alcohol, it is broken by specific enzymes in the liver. Therefore, the quicker your body metabolizes alcohol the shorter the time its effects will linger.
Nevertheless, if the interaction between the enzymes in the liver and alcohol takes longer, it is more likely you will experience prolonged hangovers.
Tolerance and dependence
Regular consumption of alcohol can increase tolerance. This is why a regular drinker can ingest more for a longer period and have fewer effects. This means it will take longer for the alcohol to hit his system compared to when this person was starting out.
Unfortunately, the body can also build a dependence on alcohol which eventually develops into substance use disorder or commonly known as, alcoholism. One of our articles tell how the body progresses through the stages of alcoholism.
Menstrual cycle
It is beyond doubt that this comes as shock to most women but believe it or not, your menstrual cycle affects your alcohol tolerance.
You might have noted that during ovulation or during your period, intoxication hits faster. This might be due to hormonal changes which slow down the rate of alcohol metabolism. As a result, alcohol stays longer in the bloodstream and so do its effects.
How long does alcohol take to leave the body?
As elaborated above, different factors affect how long alcohol lingers in your system. On average, alcohol lasts about 12-24 hours in your breath and urine since last ingested.
The effects on your brain, however, may last depending on the degree of ingestion. Visit our site to learn more about the alcohol brain recovery timeline.
That said, it is vital to avoid driving or operating heavy machinery while intoxicated.
