Sandy Crest Medical Centre - Health Tips
Alcohol - A Few Facts
Alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream within
a few minutes after drinking and is carried to all parts of your
body including the brain.
The concentration of alcohol in the body, known
as the ‘blood alcohol concentration’, depends on many factors, but
principally, how much you have drunk, how long you have been
drinking, whether you have eaten, and your size and weight. It is
difficult to know exactly how much alcohol is in your bloodstream or
what effect it may have.
It takes a healthy liver about 1 hour to break
down and remove 1 unit of alcohol. A unit is equivalent to 8 gm or
10 ml of pure alcohol. The following all contain one unit of
alcohol:
• a half pint of ordinary strength beer, lager
and cider
• a single 25 ml measure of spirits
• a small glass of wine
If someone drinks heavily in the evening they
may still be over the recommended drink drive limit the following
morning.
Black coffee, cold showers and fresh air won’t
sober someone up. Only time can remove alcohol from the bloodstream.
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