How Long Does Being Drunk Last?

So you’re planning to go out for a night on the town with your friends, but you have work the next morning. You’d like to let loose and enjoy a few drinks since you haven’t seen your friends in a while, but you don’t want to show up drunk to your shift the next day. Will you be completely recovered by the time you have to go to work? How long will it take for you to successfully sober up after a night of drinking?

What It Feels Like to Be Drunk

A person is considered “drunk” when they have high blood alcohol content levels in their body. If someone’s blood alcohol content, or BAC, is over .08, they are considered to be drunk. But, as you probably already know, there are many different stages when it comes to being drunk.

When someone has a few drinks and isn’t feeling too impaired, they may call themselves “tipsy” or “buzzed” because they don’t believe they are fully drunk yet. However, this “fully drunk” sensation may come out of nowhere and affect a person’s thinking process and motor skills.

There are many symptoms of being drunk, but the most common and identifiable side effects include lowered alertness, impaired judgment, slurred speech, muscle incoordination, drowsiness, and more. The effects of being drunk can usually be treated at home, but may require medical attention if they are dangerous enough. If you see someone seizing or passing out after drinking, it is important to seek emergency medical care as soon as possible.

How Long Does Being Drunk Last?

While this is a simple question, there are many possible answers to it. How long someone will be drunk for depends on several factors including how much they drank that night, what they decided to drink, what age/sex they are, how much they weigh, their metabolism, if they’re on medication, if they ate before drinking, if they’re staying hydrated while drinking, etc.

In most cases, the body metabolizes about one drink per hour. However, that doesn’t mean that their “buzz” will wear off. Considering all the factors that contribute to being drunk, the effects will usually wear off in about six hours on average. The longest someone can be drunk for is about 24 hours, as long as they don’t drink twice in that time period. But, again, this is just a general range. An individual can not predict how long they’ll stay drunk, but they can take some precaution before drinking to ensure that they won’t feel the effects of being drunk for too long.

How To Get Sober Faster

In most cases, drunkenness will fade after a good night of sleep. However, it sometimes lasts longer than planned. It is even possible for someone to still wake up feeling drunk the morning after drinking. But if you’d like to try to speed up the process a little bit, there are some steps you can take before, while, and after drinking.

Get a full night of sleep before and after drinking. It sounds obvious, but rest is key. You are less likely to feel intense effects if you are completely rested.
Eat a full meal before drinking. Drinking on an empty stomach can lead to more side effects and can cause the feeling of being drunk to last longer.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day. This step is the most important. Whether you plan on having 1 or 6 drinks, you should make sure to stay hydrated. If you’re dehydrated while or after drinking, the side effects and hangover could be much worse.

If you wake up the morning after drinking and don’t feel like yourself yet, try taking a shower and engaging in some light exercise to get yourself moving.

What Happens After Being Drunk Fades

Unfortunately, the side effects don’t end when somebody is no longer drunk. When someone begins to feel sober again, they may begin to experience side effects of a hangover. When someone has a hangover, their body is trying to remove alcohol from the system. Hangovers may come with side effects such as headache, fatigue, cloudiness, and nausea. These symptoms can typically be managed at home and usually go away in about 24 hours. A person can expect to feel completely normal about 1-2 days after a night of heavy drinking.

To learn more about being drunk and how long it lasts and to find out if you or a loved one needs treatment for alcohol addiction, contact our team of substance abuse treatment representatives for more information. Give us a call at 267.209.7312.