Experiencing withdrawal when you stop drinking indicates a dependence on alcohol, and it may be difficult to quit drinking on your own. It can also be dangerous to quit cold turkey once you have developed an alcohol use disorder (AUD). While you cannot flush alcohol out of your system faster, there are a few things you can do to help yourself feel better and support your body as it recovers. Liver impairment, whether or not alcohol-related, can limit your ability to eliminate alcohol from your body. The liver plays a primary role in processing alcohol, so any type of liver damage will reduce its efficiency.
How Long Does it Take to Get Alcohol Out of Your Blood?
On this page, we address a common myth linked with alcohol misuse and binge drinking – that drinking water can ‘flush’ alcohol from your system. Once you consume alcohol, your body starts to break it down to eliminate it from your system, mainly through the liver. Some factors that influence how someone reacts to the effects of alcohol include, but aren’t limited to gender, speed of drinking, medications someone is taking, and the amount of food eaten. Your body processes alcohol through a metabolic pathway involving alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes, which convert ethanol into acetaldehyde and eventually to acetic acid. On average, the body metabolizes alcohol at a steady rate—around one drink per hour. In the United States, “one drink” equates to about 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of wine (or about 14 grams of ethanol), according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Discover the three benefits of residential treatment and unlock the path to empowerment and recovery today.
In general, any over the counter medication that promises to flush alcohol out of your system is lying. For most people, the term “flushing” alcohol is synonymous with a quick detox. Here, you normally want to remove traces of alcohol from your system, may want to sober up, and likely want to pass a toxicology test, such as an alcohol breath test or a hair alcohol test. Before going to bed, you should keep a massive glass of water beside it to prevent the dehydrating impact of alcohol and help you become sober. Then, you must put a bucket or a Sober living house trash can next to it in case you feel the need to vomit, so you won’t have to clean it in the morning. If you still feel restless once you wake up, you should consider getting back to sleep and taking over-the-counter medications to relieve headaches.
Health & Wellness
You might be looking for a quick fix to get alcohol out of your system. You must understand that the body metabolizes alcohol through certain pathways. Unfortunately, you can not speed up the metabolism overnight to get rid of alcohol. Engaging in regular physical activity can help speed up the detoxification process by promoting circulation and sweating. Exercise aids in the elimination of toxins through your skin and boosts your metabolism, which can assist in breaking down alcohol in your body. Once alcohol enters the bloodstream, it is primarily metabolized by the liver.
Severe impairment also increases your risk of alcohol overdose and loss of consciousness. Whether you’ve eaten or drank something that expired a little too long ago, or had one too many alcoholic flush alcohol out of your system drinks at a holiday party, Activated Charcoal can help to “mop up” the toxic aftermath. My coconut charcoal can also help to bind to potentially irritating proteins, such as casein and gluten.
Exercise and Sweating
Caffeine is a stimulant, which can perk you up and reverse some of alcohol’s effects. If you’ve had a drink or two, you might be wondering just how long that alcohol will stay in your system. Nevertheless, while exercise will not help to sober a person up, they may become more aware after doing some exercise. Jessica Plonchak serves as Executive Clinical Director at ChoicePoint.
Care options
- Although alcohol is typically metabolized within 25 hours, there are several factors that can make that process longer or shorter than average.
- Although dehydration isn’t the main cause of a hangover, it can make symptoms feel more intense.
- It’s not just about alleviating the symptoms of a hangover; it’s about aiding our bodies in recovering and detoxifying from the effects of alcohol consumption.
If you require medical intervention, such as medication to ease symptoms, professionals can assist with that as well. It’s essential to understand that there is no quick fix or guaranteed method to flush alcohol from your system. The process of metabolizing and eliminating alcohol takes time and cannot be significantly accelerated.