How Long Does Alcohol Stay in Urine? Get the Facts

Alcohol Detection Time in Urine

There are three common types of urine tests used to detect alcohol, each with its own detection window:

These time frames vary depending on factors like your metabolism, how much you drank, and which test is used. Let’s break it all down.

What Affects How Long Alcohol Stays in Your Urine?

1. Amount and Frequency of Alcohol Consumed

Drinking more alcohol or drinking frequently means it will stay in your system longer. If you binge drink (4 or more drinks at once for women, 5 or more for men) or drink heavily throughout the week (8+ drinks for women, 15+ for men), alcohol can be detected in your urine for a longer period.

2. Your Metabolism and Body Type

When you drink alcohol on an empty stomach, about 20% goes into the bloodstream through the stomach, and the other 80% through the small intestine.

Unlike food, alcohol doesn’t need to be digested, it gets absorbed right away.

Since alcohol mixes better with water than fat, it spreads more into muscle (which holds more water) and less into fat. So, if two people weigh the same but one has more body fat, that person will usually have a higher blood alcohol level.

3. Age, Gender, and Health Conditions

As we age, our bodies process alcohol more slowly. So, the same amount of alcohol that might not affect you in your 30s could hit much harder in your 60s or 70s. This happens for a few reasons: changes in liver function, a decrease in total body water, and slower alcohol elimination rates.

Women also tend to metabolize alcohol more slowly than men because they usually have lower levels of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) - the enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the body.

Women also have a naturally higher percentage of body fat than men. So, as mentioned earlier, this means alcohol spreads less throughout their bodies, often leading to higher blood alcohol levels even if they drink the same amount.

In addition, health conditions like liver or kidney disease can further slow down how alcohol is processed and removed.

4. Medications and Other Substances

Some medications can slow down how your body breaks down alcohol. They might block the enzymes that process alcohol or compete with alcohol in your system. That causes alcohol to stay in your body longer or make its effects stronger. 

Now that you know what affects alcohol metabolism, let’s look at how long different urine tests can detect it.

Types of Urine Alcohol Tests and How Long They Detect Alcohol

Standard Urine (Ethanol) Test

This is the most common test used to detect recent alcohol use.

• Works for 12 hours after drinking
• Detects current alcohol in your system
• Because ethanol is eliminated from the body quickly, these tests can detect very recent use only

EtG Test (Ethyl Glucuronide)

This test looks for a byproduct of alcohol and can detect use even after the alcohol has left your system.

• Highly sensitive: detects alcohol up to 80 hours
• Using alcohol-based mouthwash or hand sanitizers shortly before a urine test can lead to a positive EtG result, even if you haven’t consumed alcohol
• Commonly used in rehab programs, probation, and zero-tolerance policies

EtS Test (Ethyl Sulfate)

This test also detects a byproduct of alcohol and is used to confirm recent drinking.

• Detects alcohol use up to 24–36 hours
• Often used in conjunction with EtG testing to improve accuracy in detecting recent alcohol consumption

Why Are Urine Alcohol Tests Used?

Urine tests are used for many reasons, including:

• Legal requirements: Courts often require urine alcohol tests for people involved in alcohol-related cases like DUIs. These tests help make sure the person is staying sober during probation or before trial.
• Workplace testing: Employers use urine alcohol tests to help keep the workplace safe and efficient. This is especially common in jobs where safety is very important, like in transportation or construction.
• Pre-surgery evaluations: Before undergoing surgery, patients may be required to provide urine samples to assess their overall health and identify potential risks. 
• Rehab program compliance:  In addiction treatment programs, urine alcohol tests are used to check if patients are staying sober. Regular testing helps doctors see progress, make treatment changes if needed, and prevent relapse.

Can You Flush Alcohol Out of Your Urine Faster?

This is one of the most searched and misunderstood questions.
Let’s bust a few myths:

• Drinking water is good for you and might help you feel better after drinking, but it won’t help your body get rid of alcohol any faster.
• Coffee or cold showers may make you feel more alert, but don't speed up alcohol metabolism or reduce blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Relying on them to "sober up" can be misleading and potentially dangerous, as it may mask the effects of alcohol without reducing impairment

Time is the only solution: your liver processes about 1 standard drink per hour, and no trick, drink, or hack can speed that up.

What Other Alcohol Tests Are There?

Besides urine tests, alcohol can also be detected through blood, breath, saliva, and hair tests. Here’s how they work:

Blood Test

• Detection time: Up to 6–12 hours
• Pros: Very accurate and reliable. Results aren’t affected by things like mouthwash or food.
• Cons: It’s more invasive because it requires a blood sample, special equipment, and trained staff.

Breath Test

Detection time: Around 12–24 hours
Pros: The most common test (like a breathalyzer), quick and easy to use.
Cons: Can give false positives in rare cases, especially if you have certain medical conditions or take specific medications.

Saliva Test

• Detection time: Up to 12 hours
• Pros: Simple and less invasive than blood tests.
• Cons: Not as accurate as blood tests and may miss low levels of alcohol.

Hair Test

• Detection time: Up to 90 days (used to check for long-term or chronic drinking)
• How it works: Looks for alcohol markers like EtG or FAEE that stay in your hair for weeks or months.
• Cons: Can’t detect recent drinking, because it takes about 7 days for alcohol markers to show up in hair.

Urine tests remain popular because they are non-invasive and can detect recent alcohol use, especially with EtG or EtS tests, which can spot alcohol several days after drinking.