| When alcohol is taken, the body begins to metabolize it. During metabolic conversion, alcohol gets into the bloodstream, passes through the internal organs, and is then excreted through breath, urine, and sweat. Since it takes time for alcohol to enter your blood flow after you drink it, the level of alcohol in your blood can actually increase for a while after you've had your last drink.
Sweating, breathing, and urinating eliminate only a small amount of alcohol.
Carrying out a breath test, one ounce of alcohol is ordinarily no longer detectable in 1-2 hours, depending on the size and sex of a person. One ounce of alcohol will have a greater influence upon a 100-pound woman than it will on a 300-pound man. Alcohol remains in a female's body longer than in a man's, because the metabolic process in a female's body differs from that in a male's system.
The examination of a blood sample, nonetheless, can detect smaller amounts of alcohol and for longer periods. Small quantities of alcohol ingestion (one to three ounces) may still be detected in the blood 10-12 hours later, depending on the person. These figures are applied for an occasional user. Alcohol addict's blood and internal organs will "store" the alcohol from successive drinking sessions, and it takes much longer — at times up to a week — to excrete a sufficient amount of alcohol from the body to pass blood testing.
During metabolic conversion, alcohol passes through your liver. A properly processing liver can metabolize an ounce of alcohol an hour — about one regular drink. Alcohol abusers, whose liver may be affected, may metabolize a lot less than that.
You cannot make your liver work faster. This is why, consuming large quantities quickly or chugging drinks can be deadly. What the liver cannot process, your blood must store, and alcohol poisoning can be the result. If you are taking blood screening, it is better not to drink any alcoholic drink for several hours a day or two before the test date for a clear test result. |
