Fun drinking, do you regret the next day?

Year-end party, New Year party, Farewell and Welcome party... There are many opportunities to drink alcohol throughout the year. It is good to have a good time, but we want to avoid "Hangover" that remains until the next day.

"How much is okay for me to drink?" "How long does it take for alcohol to wear off?"

To resolve these questions, it is important to know mechanism and time of alcohol metabolism.

Mechanism of Alcohol Metabolism

The alcohol we drank is absorbed by the stomach and small intestine, and carried to the liver by blood. In the liver, decomposition is performed mainly in two steps.

Step 1: Decomposition into Acetaldehyde

First, alcohol is decomposed into a substance called "Acetaldehyde". Actually, this acetaldehyde is the causative substance of sickness and hangover that causes flushing, headache and nausea.

Step 2: Decomposition into Acetic Acid

Next, harmful acetaldehyde is decomposed into "Acetic Acid", and finally becomes water and carbon dioxide and is excreted from body.

The processing capacity of this Step 2 (power to decompose acetaldehyde) varies greatly depending on genetics. "Strong in drinking" or "Weak" is mainly determined by the degree of activity of this decomposition enzyme.

By Type of Alcohol: Guideline for Pure Alcohol Amount

To calculate alcohol decomposition time, it is necessary to know "Pure Alcohol Amount" contained in the drink you drank first. The following is a guideline per typical drink.

Beer 1 medium bottle (500ml / 5% alcohol) -> About 20g
Chu-hi 350ml can (7% alcohol) -> About 20g
Highball 1 cup (Whiskey 30ml / 40%) -> About 10g
Wine 1 glass (120ml / 12%) -> About 12g
Sake 1 go (180ml / 15%) -> About 22g
Shochu (Rock) 1 cup (60ml / 25%) -> About 12g

"Moderate drinking amount" advocated by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is considered to be about 20g of pure alcohol per day (equivalent to 1 medium bottle of beer).

Time until Alcohol Wears Off (Alcohol Metabolism Time)

Generally, it is said that it takes about 3-4 hours for a person weighing 60kg to decompose 20g of pure alcohol (about 1 medium bottle of beer, 1 go of sake).

However, this is just a guideline. Actual alcohol metabolism time varies greatly depending on the following factors.

Weight: Heavier weight tends to have larger liver and higher metabolic capacity.
Gender: Generally, it is said that women take longer to decompose alcohol than men.
Constitution: Strong drinker, weak drinker.
Physical condition: When lack of sleep or fatigue is accumulated, decomposition ability decreases.

Surprisingly unknown is "Decomposition slows down while sleeping". Since liver function also slows down during sleep, if you sleep immediately after drinking, if you sleep immediately after drinking, alcohol tends to remain until the next morning.

3 Secrets to Prevent Hangover

1. Drink "While Eating"

If you put alcohol in an empty stomach, alcohol absorption proceeds rapidly and blood concentration rises at once. By taking meals containing protein (edamame, yakitori, tofu etc.) and lipids together, you can moderate alcohol absorption and reduce burden on liver.

2. Drink Same Amount of "Water" (Chaser)

Since alcohol has a diuretic effect, the body tends to become dehydrated even if you intend to drink. Dehydration worsens hangover symptoms (headache etc.). Drinking same amount of water (chaser) as alcohol alternately prevents dehydration and also leads to pacing down of overdrinking.

If you are worried about how much water you should drink a day, please try utilizing this tool.

Water Intake CalculatorCalculate your ideal daily water intake for peak hydration and health.

3. Manage Time

"If I wake up at 7 am next morning, by what time should I finish drinking by calculating backwards?" Just knowing this changes the condition of the next day dramatically. Especially if you plan to drive the day after drinking, it is essential to calculate the time when alcohol completely wears off in advance.

Jenee's Alcohol Decomposition Time Calculation Tool

"I drank 2 beers and highball tonight. About what time will alcohol wear off?" At such times, let's check with this calculation tool.

Alcohol Intake CalculatorEstimate exactly when alcohol will completely clear from your system.

Just by entering weight and amount drank (type), you can easily simulate the approximate time when alcohol wears off from body.

Relationship between Alcohol, Sleep and Caffeine

Drinking also greatly affects quality of sleep. "Nightcap" improves falling asleep, but arousal effect works during alcohol decomposition, making sleep shallow. For high-quality sleep, it is ideal to finish drinking by 3 hours before bedtime.

Sleep CalculatorWhat time should I sleep? Calculate your 90-minute sleep cycles to wake up refreshed.

Also, many people drink coffee in the morning of hangover, but there is a possibility that dehydration proceeds further by diuretic effect of caffeine. It is also important to know the appropriate amount of caffeine.

Caffeine Intake CalculatorTrack your daily caffeine intake and learn your safe consumption limits.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Does alcohol wear off faster if I sweat in sauna or bath?

Answer is No. Alcohol excreted from sweat is very small (about a few %). Rather, bathing or sauna after drinking accelerates dehydration symptoms or puts a burden on heart due to blood pressure fluctuation, so please absolutely avoid it.

Q. Is "Nightcap" good for sleep?

Falling asleep may improve, but quality of sleep decreases. Sympathetic nerve is stimulated in the process of alcohol decomposition, causing shallow sleep or increased awakening during sleep (waking up in the middle of the night). For high-quality sleep, it is ideal to finish drinking by several hours before bedtime.

Q. Is "Hair of the dog" effective?

No effect. It only feels momentarily relieved as senses are paralyzed, but total amount of alcohol in body increases and burden on liver also increases. When suffering from hangover, taking water and nutrition and resting liver is the best recovery method.

Q. Does alcohol wear off if I exercise after drinking?

No, alcohol decomposition is not accelerated by exercise. Rather, intense exercise after drinking worsens dehydration and risks burdening the heart. Since alcohol decomposition is mainly performed in liver, it is more efficient to rest and concentrate blood flow to liver.

Q. Is driving okay the day after drinking alcohol?

Depending on the amount and time drank, there is a possibility that alcohol remains in body even the day after drinking. For example, if you were drinking until 2 am, alcohol may not have completely worn off even at 7 am. If there is even a little anxiety, please refrain from driving. It is safe to check in advance with the tool below.