I drank 18 16oz of beer by Saturday night this past weekend. I am a female and about 177 pounds and have been drinking plenty of water. Is there a certain enzyme that can indicate you have drank alcohol up to 6 days and if so am I going to pass a urine test first thing Friday morning?

You'll pass.

It is actually a metabolite, ethyl glucuronide (EtG), that can be detected for an extended period after the alcohol has left your system. Even though you consumed a very large volume of alcohol the time between last drink and the test, 6 days, should ensure complete elimination of EtG. The only exception is if you have diminished liver capacity due to long-term heavy drinking. Otherwise, as Judy notes, there should be no problem with detection.

Thank you for the info. How about if I have to take the test tomorrow afternoon? Also, I quit drinking for 5 months then drank on and off last week which lead to the 18 beers between Friday and Saturday. Does that factor in?

DrBill, I'm going to hijack the thread (and probably be "told" about it) for a minute - can you estimate the level of intoxication when a person drinks 18 16-ounces in about 24 hours, weighs 177, is female? Just curious.

Alcohol metabolism is an ongoing process which begins with the first swallow. The total number of drinks consumed is less important than the rate of consumption. The liver metabolizes ethanol at a fixed rate and only when the rate of consumption exceeds the metabolic rate does ethanol accumulate in the circulatory system (blood alcohol content BAC) leading to impairment. So at the same time alcohol is being absorbed it is likewise being eliminated by the liver at the other end of the spectrum. By the time you consume your third drink the first drink has been eliminated (example based on normal rate of consumption)

There really is no precise method for calculating BAC. Individual metabolic rates vary greatly and then numerous factors influence the individual rate. One factor that is important but impossible to calculate (can only be assumed) is a history of heavy drinking. The liver has what I call "an overdrive system" called MEOS* that seems to develop following continued heavy drinking. MEOS increases metabolism by as much as 100%. So a social drinker will metabolize a drink in about an hour while a chronic drinker may metabolize the same amount in 25-30 minutes.

All of the BAC estimating schemes are based on population averages, (i.e. one drink per hour), and have only minimal benefit in individual cases. The foregoing involves the metabolism of ethanol.

EtG is a by-product of the metabolic process and has a longer biological life than the parent drug. The problem with calculating the half life of EtG is that it is related to an 1) unknown metabolic rate, 2) individuals produce EtG at varying rates and even the same individual may produce varying amounts from time to time. As a result the detection window for EtG is all over the board.

While ethanol metabolism has a very long history and voluminous research giving one more confidence in the averages, not so with EtG. Despite all of the outlandish claims there is very little supporting science. The small amount of research available is of very limited value, conducted on small groups often less than 20 subjects, has focused on males, unrepresentative groups (chronic alcoholic in detox), and failed to apply uniform criteria.

With all that being said, if you would like to calculate, in very broad terms, an ethanol elimination rate, here is a resource that includes more of the pertinent factors than most other calculators: Blood Alcohol Content Estimator from AODWiki

*Microsomal Ethanol Oxidizing System

Thanks again...

Excellent - if it's not, that should be one of the postees at the top of the forum. Just what I was wondering about!

My ex-husband was an alcoholic, "dry" for a number of years, went back to drinking and had absolutely no capacity because he had damaged his liver earlier.

I had 1 beer last night.today have to submit EtG.very worried if I will pass.need answer asap

Can't tell you exactly. Too close.

However, the EtG created by 1 beer is usually detectable within a range of 18-21.6 hours (max). Could be as short as 8 hours.

If you will provide your age, height, weight and gender will try to figure a little closer based on g/kg. Also please be a bit more precise on the time.

Thank u. I weigh 139. I am 44 yrs.thanks for your help. I have had cranberry juice, lots of water and protein ,will that help

I am a hispanic female.I am only 5' 4''

I had beer about 10pm? I am only 5'4''. Hispanic female.

I have been very compliant with my ua/etg program but just had 1 beer with my husband if that.please help with any ideas.

1 beer at 10pm .I am only a 5'4'' hispanic female.I have been very compliant with my program but had the 1 beer last night with my husband.please help with any ideas.will be doing EtG urine about 9pm tonight.

One beer at 10 pm. What time did you take the test the following day? Also do you happen to know cutoff level of test, 100, 250, 500ng?

Added: I failed to notice the time of test you noted above... making the time from last drink to time of test at 23 hours. As I have previously noted the maximum detection period for one beer has been 20.6 hours. But that is based on very few studies and each study contained few subjects. So it's questionable. EtG testing is erratic, unpredictable and lacking necessary research.

Also checked by volume of alcohol in relation to your body weight. You consumed 0.22g/kg of body weight. The most authoritative study is Wojcik and Hawthorne, 2007, which only states detection under 24 hours. Not much help.

Based on all available evidence you should be EtG clear regardless of test cutoff. Not necessarily my prediction but based on all available information.

Please report back with your results.


Ref.

Wojcik & Hawthorne
Ethylglucuronide (Dr. Greg Skipper's Blog)
Clinical & Forensic Toxicology News (article not properly referenced)