Alcohol is metabolized at a near-constant rate of approximately 0.015% BAC per hour (≈0.15‰/hr) — roughly one standard drink every 60 to 90 minutes. After your last drink, expect about one hour per drink to fully clear, plus a 30-minute absorption window. A peak BAC of 0.08% takes roughly 5.5 hours to return to zero. Detection windows vary by test type. Blood: detectable up to about 12 hours. Breath (breathalyzer): 12 to 24 hours and matches current BAC. Standard urine test: 12 to 48 hours. EtG/EtS urine test: up to 80 hours after the last drink. Saliva: 12 to 24 hours. Hair follicle test: up to 90 days, used mainly for chronic-use screening rather than recent drinking. Coffee, cold showers, exercise, and food do not measurably increase the elimination rate. Eating before drinking slows absorption (lowering peak BAC) but does not change how fast alcohol leaves once absorbed. Women typically have less body water (52% vs 61%), less gastric alcohol dehydrogenase, and a different fat-to-muscle ratio, so they reach a higher peak BAC from the same amount of alcohol. Sources: NIAAA "Alcohol Metabolism," Cederbaum (2012) Clinics in Liver Disease, Jones (2010) Forensic Science International.