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How Long Does Ethanol Stay In Body?

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Posted on Thu, 5 Mar 2015
Question: I drank 2 bottles of Champagne on Saturday from around 10am until 8pm and had an ETG on Tuesday at 6pm. So, I was somewhere between the 69-70 hour mark. I am 47 with the good metabolism, drank almost 4 gallons of water on Sunday, normal amounts on Monday, and about 1 1/2 gallons on Tuesday (the day of my test). Also, I took 3 doses of milk thistle detox on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday along with supplementing with Creatine to compensate for the excessive water intake.

From what I've been told by all others I asked, I should be OK. Any opinions on whether I will likely pass?

I have been on probation for just more than a year with about 11 months to go, so the probation thing is my concern I guess. I haven't drank over the past year and this one was on a whim.

I haven't had a missed call in, missed test, failure, or dilute since I've been on probation, but I'm concerned over this episode. Not sure what they would do given the clean history, but it's created some anxiety to say the least.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Rovena (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Most likely you will pass the test.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome to Healthcare Magic.

I read carefully your query and understand your concern about this.

ETG test is supposed to detect metabolites of ethanol up to 80 hours after the last drink but in practice the period of detection is shorter.
The amount of alcohol taken,your metabolism are important factors to determine the maximal time for detection.
In your case since you took the last drink 70 hours before the test,you haven't drank for 1 year and you have drink a lot of water the days before the test ,most likely you will past the test.
I can't tell it for sure but it is highly likely that you will past the test.


Hope it helps.
Let me know if you have any other question or doubt to clarify.I will be happy to assist you further.

Kind regards,
Dr.Rovena Murati
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Dr. Rovena (15 minutes later)
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Much appreciated... I'm not sure how much difference it would make, but I was probably closer to the 69 hour mark and the 2 bottles was a pretty close estimate of volume intake. It could have been as much as 2 1/2 bottles, but definitely no more than that. I think that would have been another 1 to 2 drinks.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Rovena (43 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
detailed below.

Detailed Answer:
Hello again!

Well,the amount of alcohol intake is pretty high but the fact that it was consumed over an interval of time of 10 hours (10 am- 8 pm) is a positive thing that increases the chances for a negative test result.
Considering the time from the last drink to the time of test (69-70 hour) ,that fact that you haven't drank recently and the dilution of urine due to water intake, you have good chances to pass the test.
Usually ETG test can detect alcohol up to 80 hours only in chronic users and large amounts of alcohol.

So the probability to past the test in your case is grater then to fail but everything can happen.You can only wait for the result now ,hopping for the best.

Take care,
Dr.Rovena
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dr. Rovena

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2013

Answered : 1243 Questions

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How Long Does Ethanol Stay In Body?

Brief Answer: Most likely you will pass the test. Detailed Answer: Hello! Welcome to Healthcare Magic. I read carefully your query and understand your concern about this. ETG test is supposed to detect metabolites of ethanol up to 80 hours after the last drink but in practice the period of detection is shorter. The amount of alcohol taken,your metabolism are important factors to determine the maximal time for detection. In your case since you took the last drink 70 hours before the test,you haven't drank for 1 year and you have drink a lot of water the days before the test ,most likely you will past the test. I can't tell it for sure but it is highly likely that you will past the test. Hope it helps. Let me know if you have any other question or doubt to clarify.I will be happy to assist you further. Kind regards, Dr.Rovena Murati