How long after ingesting alcohol does it take to show up in blood work?
How long does alcohol show up in blood test?
Question posted by Jane 330 on 3 Oct 2023
Last updated on 3 October 2023
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
Answers
masso
3 Oct 2023
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.
Hair: Similar to other drugs, alcohol can be detected in a hair follicle drug test for up to 90 days.
masso
3 Oct 2023
The metabolism times above are estimated for the average person. There are other factors that can affect how quickly or slowly your body will eliminate alcohol from your system.
Some of those factors include:
Genetic sex
Ethnicity
Body fat content
Age
How much you had to eat before drinking or while drinking
Fat content of the food you ate
Medications
How fast you consumed the alcohol
Sources:
Alcohol Metabolism: An Update. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Cederbaum AI. Alcohol Metabolism. Clinics in Liver Disease.
Drugs of Abuse Reference Guide. LabCorp, Inc.
Ethanol. American Association for Clinical Chemistry.
Related topics
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.