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How fast does your body process alcohol?

On Behalf of | Oct 22, 2024 | Drunk Driving

If you like to have a drink, you may sometimes be in a situation where you want to have a drink but also need to drive afterward. While the best option would be to either not drive, or stick to non-alcoholic drinks, you are within your legal right to consume some alcohol in most situations.

If you choose to drink alcohol, you need to consider how fast your body will process that alcohol, especially if you are having several drinks.

There is no simple answer

As a general rule, an adult will process alcohol at one standard drink per hour. This measure roughly equates to a beer, a glass of wine or a shot of spirits. However, it is not quite as simple as that. Firstly, you need to work out whether your drink is standard or not.  The following would be:

  • 12 fl oz of 5% beer
  • 5 fl oz of 12% wine
  • 3-4 fl oz of 17% fortified wine
  • 1.5 fl oz of 40% spirits

Any increase in the size or strength of the drink could mean your body could take more than an hour to process it.

Other factors that could affect the processing time include your age, gender, the time of day, what (if any) activity you are doing, whether you eat, how healthy your liver is and how much alcohol is still in your body from previous drinks.

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to how fast your body will process alcohol. So, if you are trying to gauge how much you can have before driving, there’s a good chance you will get it wrong one day. If that is the day the police test you, you could face DUI charges, despite your attempts to stay within the law. Learning about your defense options will be crucial in such a case.