How your body gets rid of alcohol?

First step

Alcohol goes from your mouth to your tummy and intestines.

When you drink alcohol: alcohol gets into your tummy. Then alcohol moves to intestine

Second step

Alcohol is absorbed from your tummy and intestine

From your tummy and intestine: alcohol gets into your blood

Third step

From blood: alcohol goes to your liver, brain, muscles, kidneys, heart, lungs

Little bit of alcohol goes directly to urine and breath

Fourth step

Liver breaks down alcohol. That means liver metabolizes alcohol. Liver gets rid of alcohol.

How liver breaks down alcohol?

Your liver has many enzymes. These enzymes break down alcohol

First your liver breaks down alcohol to acetaldehyde. This is done by 2 enzymes. One enzyme is called alcohol dehydrogenase. Second enzyme is called CYP2E1

Then your liver breaks down acetaldehyde to acetic acid. This is done by enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase

Page last updated: 25-August-2019