With the festive season drawing to a close, many of us will be taking on the challenge of a dry January to give our bodies a much-needed alcohol detox.
But if you’ve ever wondered exactly how long it takes your body to break down alcohol, wonder no more because your surgeon has the answer. This is shocking:
Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, 58, a neurosurgeon from Ohio, who also tragically lost his son to a drunken driving accident, has no other reason to care about the issue.
Taking TikTok to share his expertise, he began by mimicking a scene we’ve probably seen before – a ‘lots of drinks are falling’ party.
“Let’s say you’re drinking five drinks in the first hour,” he explained, drinking five shots of water to mimic the alcohol someone might consume during a beer pong match.
“[Booze] Alcohol reaches and begins to affect your brain within five minutes, but you may not realize that your liver only metabolizes an ounce of alcohol an hour. ”
The doctor’s claim is backed by Northwestern Medicine, which reported that the human body can process one standard drink an hour.
“I have 5 ounces of liquor in my body right now. [four] A few ounces of alcohol remained in the bloodstream,” the doctor continued.
He then explained that if a person had a few more drinks at the party, things would add up quickly, even if it ended with a modest single shot to go home.
“Right now, I have up to 9 ounces of alcohol in my bloodstream in 3 hours, and my liver has only metabolized 3 ounces of that.”
“You will be drunk until morning. It will not abate,” said the doctor. “Alcohol can easily build up in your body when you’re intoxicated and can linger for hours without you even realizing it.”
He then warned TikTok users that this is exactly why they shouldn’t drink and drive.
“So don’t get in the car. Don’t drink and drive. Take an Uber. Take a Lyft. I mean, drunk driving is the worst thing you can do. You can get hurt, you can kill yourself, and more importantly, you can kill yourself.” “Someone else,” he concluded. “Not worth it.”
Thankfully, his message didn’t go unnoticed on social media websites, and as of this writing, his videos have been viewed over 16 million times.
Viewers were quick to applaud him for sharing such an important message.
“Thank you. This is the first time I’ve had someone explain it to me like this. I’m forwarding it to my son,” one praised.
The second agreed, adding:
“Thank you for sharing this and educating us,” wrote the third. “I am so sorry for your son, but you are helping us make better decisions.”