Can You Speed Up This Process? Once alcohol is in the bloodstream, it can only be eliminated by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, sweat, urine, and breath. Drinking water and sleeping will not speed up the process. Coffee, energy drinks, and a cold shower will not sober you up faster.
Blood: Alcohol is eliminated from the bloodstream at about 0.015 per hour. Alcohol can show up in a blood test for up to 12 hours. Urine: Alcohol can be detected in urine for up 3 to 5 days via the ethyl glucuronide (EtG) test or 10 to 12 hours via the traditional method.
Alcohol's Path Through the Body
About five percent of the alcohol consumed leaves the body through urine, sweat glands, and breathing. Most of the alcohol must be broken down (metabolized) by the liver to remove it from the system. The liver metabolizes alcohol at a very constant rate, approximately one drink per hour.
However, by day 4 without alcohol, most people will have got beyond any initial withdrawal symptoms. All the alcohol will have left your system by now, and your body will begin to bounce back. If you're not as focused on alcohol, you may be eating better, drinking water, moving more, and perhaps sleeping more deeply.
From the time you drink a glass of wine or take a shot, that alcohol could remain in your system (urine, hair, et cetera) for days. Once alcohol hits the bloodstream, it travels to the brain, liver, and other body tissues. The liver can process about one ounce of alcohol per hour.
Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to the development of chronic diseases and other serious problems including: High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems.
In some cases, the breathalyzer may detect alcohol for up to 12 hours. In other individuals, the breathalyzer test may work for twice that long. Although the average person metabolizes about 1 alcoholic drink per hour, this rate varies.
Improved energy levels and better sleep
If you stop drinking completely, one of the first things you notice should be improved energy levels, better sleep and finding it easier to wake up in the morning. Regular drinking can affect the quality of your sleep making you feel tired and sluggish during the day.
Summary. The rate of alcohol metabolism is remarkably constant. Heavy drinkers metabolize alcohol faster than light drinkers or non-drinkers. However, the rate of alcohol metabolism drops substantially in advance liver disease.
Drinking water before, during, and after drinking alcohol can help to prevent dehydration. Alcohol is a diuretic so it is important to make sure that you stay hydrated by replacing the water that is lost when drinking alcohol.
For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week.
Generally, symptoms of alcoholic liver disease include abdominal pain and tenderness, dry mouth and increased thirst, fatigue, jaundice (which is yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, and nausea. Your skin may look abnormally dark or light. Your feet or hands may look red.
Generally, people drink to either increase positive emotions or decrease negative ones. This results in all drinking motives falling into one of four categories: enhancement (because it's exciting), coping (to forget about my worries), social (to celebrate), and conformity (to fit in).
So what happens when you stop drinking? The good news is that the liver is the only organ that can restore and regenerate itself. Because the liver is in a constant state of regeneration, in many cases the healing process can begin within just weeks after foregoing alcohol.
The liver is very resilient and capable of regenerating itself. Each time your liver filters alcohol, some of the liver cells die. The liver can develop new cells, but prolonged alcohol misuse (drinking too much) over many years can reduce its ability to regenerate.
Some people find that Kava can give you almost the same effect as alcohol. It's been said to send your brain those same feelings of relaxation and happiness that you may get after that first cocktail's buzz.
Depending on how much you drank, your starting weight, your age, and how you've treated diet and exercise since you stopped drinking, it's not uncommon to lose anywhere between 6-15 pounds after a month without alcohol.
There's isn't a set number of alcohol-free days that's recommended, as this is very individual to you. UK guidelines on low risk drinking simply recommend having “several” alcohol-free days a week. The key thing is to think about what's achievable for you in order to reduce your drinking.
1 Week: It's common to experience alcohol cravings, heightened anxiety, nausea, sleep disruptions, and other acute alcohol withdrawal symptoms during the first several days and after one week sober. It's important to speak with your medical provider before you stop drinking to ensure you have a plan to safely cut back.