Alcohol metabolism: myths and realities

On Behalf of | Jan 15, 2025 | Drug Crimes, Drunk Driving Charges

Every year (and sometimes several times within a year) I hear people defend their drinking before getting into their vehicle because they did something to metabolize the alcohol in their body. In our last post, we discussed if drinking coffee actually has that effect.

Many others believe that eating a certain food, ingesting a substance or drinking certain liquids can help metabolize alcohol faster to prevent a DUI. The answer is that while you may feel better after doing some of these things, no food or drink can significantly speed up the process of metabolizing alcohol.

Metabolizing alcohol

While a small percentage of alcohol in the body leaves the body rather quickly via sweat, urine and breathing, the rest of it relies on a very important organ: the liver. Most of the alcohol must be broken down by the liver to remove it from your system, and typically it metabolizes about one drink per hour.

What you can control

Even though you may not be able to control how long it takes for alcohol to pass through your body, you do have control over what and how much you ingest. Also, it is important to point out that while alcohol burns off at an average of one drink per hour regardless of a person’s weight, everyone is different in how BAC rises in their body.

For example, a small woman might reach a BAC of 0.08% after a few drinks, while a man may be able to drink four or five drinks before reaching the legal limit.

Bottom line

The bottom line is to not drink and drive. In the case of drugs, even legal substances, the bottom line is not to ingest those drugs. There is no way around the risk you take if you drink or do drugs, but the consequences can be serious. If you need help, there are many places who can assist people who suffer from addiction or do not know how to quit. Contact your attorneys for more information.

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