Questions about the length of time alcohol remainins in your system often focus on drug screens that analyze blood, urine, saliva, or hair. But how long does alcohol stay on your breath?
Why Do Police Test Your Breath for Alcohol?
If you are suspected of driving while under the influence of alcohol (DUI or DWI) in the United States, you may be subjected to a variety of tests – including analyzing your breath for alcohol – to determine if you should be arrested.
A standard field sobriety test includes:
- Horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN) test – This involves following an object such as a pen or small flashlight with your eyes as the object is moved in a horizontal direction. If your pupils exhibit jerking motions as they move, this can be evidence of intoxication.
- One-leg stand test: You will be asked to lift one foot about six inches off the ground and count to 30, while the officer evaluates your balance.
- Walk and turn test: You will be directed to take nine heel-to-toe steps along a straight line, then turn and repeat the test. This assesses your balance as well as your ability to recall and follow directions.
You may also be asked to blow into a breathalyzer either at the scene or at the police station. The reasons this type of test is used include:
- Portability
- Ease of operation
- Noninvasive (doesn’t require drawing blood or taking other fluid samples)
- Rapid, objective results
- Detects not only presence, but amount of alcohol
How Long Does Alcohol Stay on Your Breath?
Two of the most common reasons for being required to take a breath test for alcohol are being pulled over for driving recklessly and being involved in an automobile accident.
What happens if you had been drinking prior to either of these scenarios? How long does alcohol stay on your breath?
In general, the human body can typically metabolize one alcoholic drink per hour. For this calculation, one drink is about:
- 12 oz of beer (5% alcohol by volume, or ABV)
- 8-10 oz of malt beverages (7% ABV)
- 5 oz of table wine (12% ABV)
- 3-4 oz of fortified wine (17% alcohol)
- 1.5 oz of brandy, cognac, or distilled spirits (40% ABV)
However, the actual length of time alcohol stays on your breath can be influenced by several personal factors, such as:
- Your age, gender, body weight, and metabolism
- How much alcohol you consumed
- The ABV percentage of the beverage
- If you ate anything before or during the time you were drinking
- If you have certain medical conditions or are taking certain medications
Most breathalyzers can detect alcohol within about 15 minutes of your first drink. Once you stop drinking, the general detection window can range from a few hours up to a full day.
What Does BAC Mean?
Breathalyzers aren’t designed solely to detect alcohol on your breath. They have also been engineered to measure the amount of alcohol in your system. Even though these tools analyze your breath, the measurement they return is called blood alcohol content, or BAC.
BAC indicates how many grams of alcohol are in 100 milliliters (ml) of your blood. When calculated by a breathalyzer, BAC indicates grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. Either calculation will result in the same percentage, because researchers have found that the ratio of breath alcohol to blood alcohol is 2,100:1.
Throughout the United States, the threshold for legal impairment for drivers ages 21 and above is a BAC of 0.08%. Drivers under the age of 21, who are not legally permitted to consume alcohol, can be arrested for DUI if they have a BAC of 0.01%.
In addition to its legal implications, BAC can also help experts predict your degree of impairment and risk of health long-term damage:
- At a BAC of 0.16%, which is twice the legal limit, you are likely to be significantly impaired in terms of cognition, judgement, and coordination.
- At a BAC of 0.25%, or more than three times the legal limit, you will likely experience severe impairments and be unable to understand what is happening around you.
- At a BAC above 0.30%, you are at risk of acute alcohol poisoning and immediate loss of consciousness.
- A BAC of 0.40% or higher puts you in elevated danger of coma and respiratory arrest, which can be fatal.
Does Getting a DUI Mean I’m an Alcoholic?
Getting a DUI means you made a very bad decision. It doesn’t automatically mean you have alcohol use disorder (AUD), which is the clinical term for alcoholism. But it can absolutely be a warning sign that your drinking is getting out of control.
If you have had more than one DUI, the likelihood that you have become addicted to alcohol increases significantly.
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes 11 criteria for a diagnosis of AUD. Two of these criteria are directly applicable to having multiple DUIs:
- Recurrent alcohol use in situations in which it is physically hazardous.
- Continued alcohol use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of alcohol.
The other nine criteria for alcoholism are:
- Frequently drinking more or for a longer period of time than intended
- Having powerful urges to drink
- Spending a great deal of time obtaining, using, and recovering from the effects of alcohol
- Failing to fulfill your responsibilities at home, in school, or at work as a result of you drinking
- Giving up or reducing your participation important social, recreational, or work-related activities due to your alcohol use
- Continuing to drink despite having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that was either caused or worsened by your prior alcohol use
- Tolerance, which means you have to drink more than you used to in order to experience the same level of effects
- Having a persistent desire or a history of unsuccessful attempts to limit or end your alcohol use
- Withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit or substantially reduce your alcohol use
If you meet any two or three of the 11 criteria, you may be diagnosed with mild alcohol use disorder. Moderate AUD is defined by meeting four or five criteria, while those who meet six or more are qualified as having severe AUD.
Learn More About Alcohol Addiction Treatment in the San Francisco Bay Area
Untreated alcoholism can have a devastating impact on virtually every part of your life. But when you get the right type of treatment, can start living the healthier life you deserve.
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