Understand How the Body Processes Alcohol – Reduce Secondhand Drinking
Understand how the body processes alcohol and reduce secondhand drinking – where’s the connection between these two concepts?
Secondhand drinking is a term to describe the impacts another person experiences as a result of trying to cope with a person’s drinking behaviors. These are the behaviors a person engages in as a result of drinking alcohol in quantities that exceed what the body and brain can handle. These behaviors include the insane, circular arguments; verbal/physical or emotional abuse; physical assault; unwanted sex; the behaviors that occur in a blackout; the accident caused when driving while impaired.
In order to protect oneself from secondhand drinking or to avoid causing secondhand drinking, it can be helpful to understand how the body processes alcohol.
How the Body Processes Alcohol Can Contribute to Secondhand Drinking
Alcohol is not digested like other foods and liquids through the digestive system. Instead, alcohol passes through to the small intestine and enters the bloodstream through the walls of the small intestine. Because alcohol dissolves in water, the bloodstream carries it throughout the body (which is 60-70%) water, where it is absorbed into body tissue high in water concentration (like the brain) and highly vascularized (meaning, lots of blood vessels – like the brain).
Alcoholic beverages contain ethyl alcohol – a chemical – and it is that chemical that interrupts normal brain functioning by interfering with the brain’s electro-chemical signaling process (aka neural networks). It is through this process that neurons in the brain talk to one another and then to and from others via the nervous system.
How the body processes alcohol – understand it and avoid causing or being the victim of secondhand drinking.
This ethyl alcohol chemical is metabolized by the liver, thanks in large part to enzymes produced in the liver. This is the process by which ethyl alcohol chemicals leave the body. The liver can only metabolize a certain amount per hour, which means alcohol leaves the bloodstream more slowly than it enters. [This is why a person’s BAC can continue to rise after they have stopped drinking.]
Because the brain controls everything we think, feel, say and do, excessive ethyl alcohol chemicals “sitting” in the brain until the liver can metabolize them is what changes a person’s brain’s cell-to-cell communications, which in turn changes their thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
As a very GENERAL rule of thumb, it takes about one hour for the liver to metabolize the ethyl alcohol chemicals in one standard drink, explained next.
Drinking That Can Cause the Drinking Behaviors that Cause Secondhand Drinking
Common “Standard” Drinks. All contain the same amount of ethyl alcohol chemicals. It is the ethyl alcohol chemicals that changes the way the brain works and can result in drinking behaviors.
Using this very GENERAL rule of thumb, it will take three hours to metabolize three standard drinks — even if the drinks were consumed back-to-back in a short period of time. The more a person drinks, the longer it will take for the ethyl alcohol to be metabolized.
[To learn more about how much alcohol is in typical drinks served at restaurants and bars, check out NIAAA’s Cocktail Content Calculator. NIAAA’s Drink Size Calculator can also be of help.]
BUT, no two people will necessarily metabolize alcohol in the same manner. People who weigh less, for example, have less body water as compared to someone who weighs more, and thus drink for drink a person who weighs less will have more alcohol concentration in their body water than someone who weighs more.
People who have lower amounts of the liver enzymes that metabolize ethyl alcohol will take longer to metabolize the same amount as someone else. Stage of brain development also has an influence. [To understand brain development and why it has such an influence on the adolescent brain, consider reading this chapter excerpt, “Basic Brain Facts,” from my latest book, 10th Anniversary Edition If You Loved Me, You’d Stop!]
There are other factors (whether a person is taking medications, lack of sleep, existence of a mental illness, as examples) that can also influence how much is “too much” for one person as compared to another.
Bottom Line
The key message is specific enzymes in the liver are responsible for metabolizing (getting rid of) the ethyl alcohol chemical in alcoholic beverages. It does this at an AVERAGE rate of one standard drink per hour. Until the ethyl alcohol chemicals are metabolized, a person still has them in their bloodstream, which means their brain is still being impacted by the chemical changes caused by the ethyl alcohol chemicals’ interruption of normal neural network function – hence their decision-making capabilities are being impacted, as well. In this manner, a person who’s had too much to drink may actually “choose” to drink and drive or to keep drinking because “they feel fine” or to engage in any number of other destructive behaviors because of the convoluted “thinking” caused by the ethyl alcohol chemical’s impact on their brain functioning.
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Note: This post originally appeared under the same title in 2013 and was revised in 2015. It was revised again in 2020. Comments on this post may have been posted on earlier versions.
Lisa Frederiksen
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It is so true that we need to understand how what we eat and drink does to our bodies. thx for the info.
You’re welcome, Catherine, and thank you for adding your comment.
Very informative article, Lisa. There is a definite and clear connection between how the body processes alcohol and second-hand drinking. Decisions can be impaired far beyond the time of taking a drink, for sure. Thanks so much!
I really appreciate your comment, Lisa, and glad to hear you found the connection to secondhand drinking helpful. Hopefully it will be a concept that can change how we view drinking behaviors in much the same way we changed how we viewed the health impacts on others of secondhand smoke.
I like how you broke this article down to include the impact on decision making and how alcohol effects the brain. Great read!
Thanks, Anita – so glad you found it informative.
Such an informative post on how the body processes alcohol! Thanks for sharing, Lisa!
Thanks so much for reading and adding your comment, Sherie!
Very informative article. I never actually heard the term “Secondhand drinking” – but I think it is a good one. I wonder how many people have no idea when they have crossed that line where their decision making processes are impaired and just keep drinking because they “feel fine.”
Thank you, Susan. Sadly, it’s stunning how many people don’t understand when they’ve crossed the line. This is generally because by the time they “feel” it, there is so much alcohol backed up waiting to be metabolized by the liver that rationale thinking is no longer possible. I created this video to help people understand, for example, why a person “chooses” to drink and drive – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLto4YUsfHs Glad you found the term, secondhand drinking, helpful. Hopefully, it will change how we view drinking behaviors in much the same way we changed how we viewed the health impacts on others of secondhand smoke.
Great information Lisa. “BUT, no two people will necessarily metabolize alcohol in the same manner.” is so important to note as we are all different and need to be aware of what our body can tolerate. One hour for one standard drink is a good rule of thumb to remember. Thanks for sharing – always helpful. Like your new website!!
Thank you, Cathy – and you’re right – it’s so important to keep in mind that no two people will metabolize alcohol in the same manner. This is especially important as people often think they can maintain drink-for-drink with a friend’s drinking pattern and feel as if they’ve “failed” when they can’t. Another thing to understand is that regardless of outward appearances, the impact of more alcohol than the body can process on the brain is still happening.
Thanks for such an informative post Lisa – this was a great read! I was intrigued to learn about the idea of the second-hand drinking… it makes a lot of sense. Of course – the best way to good health practice is awareness your article has a lot of great education to help.
I’m so glad you found it helpful, Moira. I agree – as new research becomes available on whatever topic is of interest – it can really re-frame conversations and hopefully lead to positive change.
Great article…every thing we eat and drink has a profound impact on our bodies, our health. Doing so mindfully is critical!
Thanks, Carl – you’re absolutely right! I’m glad you found this article informative.
Great information here, Lisa. You are doing such a great job, people must be aware of consequences so they can make wise decisions. Thanks a lot for sharing. 🙂
Thank you so much, Solvita – I’m glad you found it helpful and appreciate the compliment!
Lisa,
You have so much knowledge and wisdom to share with us on this topic. I always enjoy reading your posts!
Thank you, Meryl!! I really appreciate your comment!!
Understanding how alcohol reacts within the body is so critical to understanding the person who is (ab)using it. Thank you for this valuable information, Lisa!
I so appreciate your support, Sharon – thank you!