A drinking episode — 0 seconds

Follow what the liver does with ethanol across eight hours, and how the body's fuel handling shifts while it works.

Representative model

Interactive 3D is loading into this same frame contract.

The episode begins · 00:00:00
Absorption underway · 00:30:00
Clearance at its own pace · 01:30:00
The metabolic shift · 03:00:00
The shift eases · 05:00:00
The displayed window ends · 08:00:00

Happening now

The episode is beginning. Ethanol is starting to cross from the gut into the bloodstream.

Explore the mechanism Ethanol reaches the bloodstream

Ethanol is absorbed slowly from the stomach and more rapidly from the small intestine, then distributed through the water in the body.

Evidence for this step

Ethanol is typically absorbed slowly from the stomach and more rapidly from the small intestine, then distributed through total body water. moderate · View sources

Recommended support

Read this sequence as a teaching modelThe curves explain a mechanism. They are not a measurement, a target or a forecast for any individual, and the pace of the sequence differs from person to person.
This timeline is not a clearance clockThe displayed hours order the steps of a sequence. They do not tell anyone when ethanol has left a particular body, and the window shown here ends before the sequence itself has to.
If someone is in troubleThe warnings listed with this event describe a medical emergency, not part of an expected course. Emergency medical help is what they call for. This page is not an emergency service and cannot summon help.

Model status

Representative modelEducational only

Educational physiology only; not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment guidance.

This event shows a representative pattern, not a personal prediction.
No amount of alcohol appears anywhere in this event, by design.
The displayed timeline does not indicate when alcohol has left an individual body.
The eight-hour window ends before the sequence itself has to; how long it runs depends on the person and the occasion.
Several of the human studies behind this event are small and were carried out in men only, so they may not represent everyone.
This draft carries no science, clinical or safety approval and is available only as a preview.

Open the liver in system focus