How Our Amazing Body Processes Alcohol

by SusanANSYupdated on May 5, 2024February 3, 2022

Did you know that the average body (male or female), processes alcohol at the rate of 1 drink per hour? Whether you’re fat or thin, the processing speed stays the same. What does differ, though, is the blood alcohol level, known as BAC (blood alcohol content) between the sexes.

What sex you are has a bearing on how fast you process booze. Women tend to feel the effects more because they generally are smaller in stature. Interesting to note that folks with more body fat tend to get higher BAC levels. So that was me: A short, fat, female and an alcoholic.

Your Last Supper

Another factor in the alcohol processing rate is when you last ate a meal. If there’s food in the stomach, it will slow down the alcohol absorption rate. That’s why serious drinkers go without food to avoid a “buzz kill.” What you mix your alcohol with also matters in the absorption rate. A typical vodka and orange juice, for instance, takes longer to process than a whisky and coke (Coca-Cola has caffeine in it, OJ doesn’t).

About 20% of the alcohol consumed (in one sitting) gets into the bloodstream via the stomach, and the remaining 80% gets processed in the small intestine and is excreted that way.

Our Liver Processes the Most Alcohol

The liver, however, does most of the alcohol processing. What’s interesting is that the liver’s job is to break it all down using enzymes. The enzymes change the booze you drink into Acetaldehyde so it can be better absorbed. The liver is the workhorse that eventually bears the brunt of the bad habit from years of abuse.

To be “over the limit” here in most US states would mean a BAC rate of 0.08. What does that mean? The rate is measured as a percentage, so the 0.08 figure represents almost a 1% alcohol level in your bloodstream. That 0.08 level is also the magic number to be considered as being legally intoxicated when the police pull you over for suspected drunk driving.

Everything Slows Down

As we age, our aging-organs’ ability to process alcohol diminishes. That’s why when you were younger, you could handle it better. But let’s face it, as we age, everything slows down. I mean everything!

Though I’m being a bit flippant it doesn’t mean getting drunk is a joke. Far from it. What begins as peer pressure fun in your teens can turn into a middle-age freak-out as what happened with me. The habit is ingrained and you’re scared that you can’t stop drinking.

You have to get a grip on the situation, get help, and stop imbibing. It’s a habit. A bad habit. A habit can be broken if you put your mind to it. Consider purchasing our eBook called “Life’s Better Sober” – it takes you on a sobriety journey for 66 days. Click the eBook image below and check it out on Amazon.

Why 66 days?

Great question. A study out of London, UK, came up with a new average of 66 days to replace an old bad habit with a new one. While no one can guarantee that you’ll stop drinking forever, don’t you think it’s worth your while to at least try?

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You know what? You might end up being just like me — 20+ years sober and lovin’ it!