Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 1:44 AM

To: info@aim-digest.com

Subject: question

If I could take a moment of your time, I would like to know how long alcohol

stays in your blood stream. I am doing a report and could find that answer

no-where. Thanks for the time.

Sheen

Thanks for your email on how long alcohol stays in the blood stream. This will depend on your sex, age, body mass index (BMI), how fast you are drinking and whether you have eaten! The rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream and metabolised depends on all of the above. As a guide, however, it is estimated that the liver can metabolise one unit of alcohol an hour - a unit is a 1/2 pint ordinary strength beer or a small glass of wine. Women are less effective at breaking down alcohol than men, due to our smaller bmi, but we also have less liver enzymes than men and they are less active, hence we break down alcohol more slowly than men.

I hope this helps,

Best wishes,

Helena Conibear

Editor

Thanks for the information, but I was wondering if alcohol stays in your

blood for like a month or 'how long'? I can use the info that you gave me,

but if you would be so kind as to help me out with this last question.

Thanks for you time.

Sheen

No, alcohol is broken down, or metabolised by the liver at the rate of about

one unit an hour. So if you have had three drinks, your body will have

broken down the alcohol after three hours. This is why medical advice is to

drink little and often as the beneficial effects of moderate drinking on

thinning the blood etc only last for 12-24 hours.

Best wishes,

Helena