It might seem like sweating out alcohol is an efficient way to rid your body of the legal substance. The second way the body rids itself of alcohol is a process known as oxidation in the liver. If someone with alcohol problems also battles depression, their symptoms may worsen when drinking. Similarly, people with anxiety who drink heavily may experience stressful emotions that can cause a change in the stomach’s enzymes, which affects how a person breaks down alcohol. Heavy drinking can eliminate vitamins and minerals from the body, which can lead to a hangover. Hangovers make you feel fatigued or sick because of the reduction in vitamin B. That’s why people who attend alcohol rehab often receive nutritional support during recovery. The transition back to life outside of rehab is fraught with the potential for relapse. Aftercare resources such as 12-step groups, sober living homes and support for family and friends promote a life rich with rewarding relationships and meaning. Alcohol causes dehydration, which is why you get a hangover the next day after a night of drinking.

Your body labors to break down the alcohol – consumed as ethanol in beer, wine or spirits – forming damaging oxygen free radicals and acetaldehyde, itself a harmful compound. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider. Your alcohol detox symptoms may merely how to flush liquor out your system be uncomfortable if you haven’t had a drinking problem for long. There are many myths out there that you can drink lots of water and flush the alcohol out of your system faster. While this does eventually clear it out, it does not stop the effects. It also does not stop the alcohol from showing up in a urine test.

Eat some food

Food slows the emptying of the stomach into the small intestine, where alcohol is very rapidly absorbed. The older a person is, the longer alcohol stays in their liver. Women have less dehydrogenase, which is a liver enzyme that breaks down alcohol, than men. Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial Sober Home process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and mental healthcare professionals. Medical Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates.

Then, acetaldehyde is further broken down to another less active byproduct called acetate. From there, the acetate is broken down into water and carbon dioxide for easy elimination. Other factors affect the intoxication level that will cause BAC to rise more quickly and fall more slowly. As you get older, your liver works more slowly, so it takes longer to excrete alcohol.

How Treatment Helps

Knowing how long alcohol remains in your system is important for avoiding dangerous interactions with medications as well as impairments in your physical and mental performance. While alcohol is not considered a controlled substance under the Controlled Substances Act , it is illegal to sell or serve to anyone under the age of 21 in the United States. If you use alcohol regularly and your body has become dependent on it, you will experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking. Alcohol withdrawal is the most dangerous type of withdrawal that you can go through, as it can potentially cause seizures or a deadly condition called delirium tremens. Because of the dangers of alcohol withdrawal, you should consult with a doctor before stopping alcohol cold turkey.