Did you know that urine tests are more efficient than breath analyzers when it comes to detecting blood alcohol levels? There are situations where urine testing is the better option.
But how long does alcohol stay in urine? What can this testing method reveal about your activities? Let’s take a look at alcohol metabolization and urine tests.
Alcohol Absorption 101
When you consume alcohol, it gets absorbed fairly quickly. Around 20% of it enters your blood vessels from the stomach, while the remaining 80% is absorbed through the small intestine. Your small intestine has a rich blood supply, and your blood alcohol levels spike when the alcohol reaches this organ.
Once it’s in your blood, the alcohol starts getting metabolized. It begins exerting its depressant effect on your brain and decreases your reaction time. Your judgment may get impaired as soon as you consume a drink, and the physical symptoms of intoxication can be immediately obvious.
The higher the alcohol content in your drink, the faster the absorption will be. Additionally, alcohol gets absorbed at a higher rate when you drink on an empty stomach.
Blood Alcohol Levels and BAC
The mass concentration (mass per volume) of alcohol in your bloodstream is expressed in mg/dL, and we call this number your blood alcohol level. Your blood alcohol levels show the amount of alcohol you have in a deciliter of blood. BAC stands for blood alcohol concentration, and it is expressed in percentage of volume concentration (percent of alcohol in the bloodstream).
Your BAC primarily depends on the amount of alcohol you consume. However, there are other factors involved. The amount of alcohol in your bloodstream will depend on your:
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Weight and Height
If you have a large body type, one drink won’t affect your blood alcohol levels too much. The more blood you have, the lower your BAC will be (for the same amount of drinks).
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Amount of Body Fat
Fatty tissue doesn’t absorb alcohol well. If you have a higher proportion of body fat, your BAC will be higher because the alcohol remains in the blood instead of getting absorbed in tissue.
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Gender
If a woman and a man consume the same amount of alcohol, her BAC is likely to be higher because of her smaller body size and higher percentage of fatty tissue.
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Recent Meals
Consuming alcohol on an empty stomach will result in higher BAC.
Rate of Metabolization
The rate of alcohol metabolization is around 15 mg/dL per hour. If you and a friend have similar blood alcohol levels, the time it takes for the alcohol to metabolize in your bodies will be about equal.
As the alcohol metabolizes in your body, your BAC will decrease. You might feel sudden lethargy or sleepiness. Waking up with a hangover means the metabolization process isn’t finished yet.
BAC Testing with Breathalyzers and Urine Tests
Many people find themselves in situations where their BAC gets tested by authority figures. The most obvious example is the breathalyzer that’s put in your face if you’re stopped on suspicion of drunk driving. Most state laws define BAC of .08 (0.08%) and above as driving under the influence.
Breath tests can detect alcohol consumed in the last 24 hours. What about urine tests? How long does alcohol stay in urine?
The answer depends on the complexity of the test.
- Simpler urine tests can detect alcohol consumed 12-48 hours before you took the test.
- There are more complex tests that can detect alcohol consumed up to a week prior to testing.
It’s clear that urine analysis is more efficient than breathalyzers. So why isn’t it more widespread?
Appropriate and Inappropriate Uses of Urine Alcohol Tests
Traffic police do not use this method during routine screening. After all, there is nothing wrong with consuming alcohol in your free time more than a day before you sit behind the wheel. If your blood alcohol levels are so low that they have no impact on your driving, there’s no reason to test for them.
But there are situations where it’s important to know whether a person has consumed alcohol over the previous week. Some examples include:
- Liver transplant patients who have to abstain from alcohol.
- Participants in DUI programs and probation programs.
- Court cases – for example, parents with alcohol abuse issues who want to keep seeing their children after a divorce.
- People whose professions require them to abstain from alcohol, such as some soldiers on active duty.
- Former alcoholics who are partaking in recovery programs.
Teenagers are also occasionally subjected to urine tests by their parents. The reason behind this measure is obvious: parents want to make sure their teens avoid unsafe drinking. It’s easy to purchase drug test kits that you can use at home, and many parents think this is a useful way to approach the matter of underage drinking.
However, experts warn against this option. They say it can erode the trust between parent and child and create feelings of resentment. This kind of testing is ineffective when it comes to detecting sporadic alcohol and drug use. A negative test might give the parent a false sense of security, while a false positive test may lead to harmful conflict.
Is Urine Alcohol Testing Reliable?
There are a few reasons why using breathalyzers is more reliable in everyday situations. Urine samples are easy to tamper with. Some people add water to the samples or use somebody else’s urine. You can even purchase clean urine samples online and keep them at hand for this kind of testing.
Even when there are no problems with the sample, the test may give false negatives. But the opposite problem is present as well. Some medications, such as pollen meds, can cause the test to falsely show the presence of alcohol in the urine.
The more sensitive a test is, the likelier it is to return erroneous results. It’s important to keep this in mind when making legal decisions.
A Final Word
In short, a urine test can detect alcohol from two days back. Particularly sensitive versions of the test can cover 5-7 days, but this leaves a lot of room for error. Breath tests can be more practical to perform.
Surprisingly, a hair test is one of the most accurate and reliable forms of alcohol testing. It shows results from up to six months back, but they aren’t entirely foolproof.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-alcohol-stay-in-your-system#How%20is%20alcohol%20metabolized?
https://youngmenshealthsite.org/askus/alcohol-in-bloodstream/
https://www.mydr.com.au/addictions/blood-alcohol-concentration-bac
https://www.bgsu.edu/recwell/wellness-connection/alcohol-education/alcohol-metabolism.html
https://www.dmv.org/automotive-law/dui.php
https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/how-long-in-system
https://www.verywellmind.com/widely-used-etg-test-for-alcohol-unreliable-80212
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4920965/
https://www.addiction-ssa.org/images/uploads/CohenR_Hair_Testing_8_Nov_13.pdf
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