• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Clinical research scientist shows shocking amount of time alcohol stays in different areas of your system

Home> Lifestyle> Food & Drink

Published 15:54 5 Jun 2025 GMT+1

Clinical research scientist shows shocking amount of time alcohol stays in different areas of your system

One area of the body can show traces of alcohol for upwards of three months from your last drink

Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair

We are officially mere weeks away from summer, which means that beer gardens up and down the country will be rammed the second a ray of sunshine makes its way through the clouds.

Ah, the beauties of a British summer.

But with more reason to go out for a bev or two with your mates comes a number of considerations you may want to take.

Advert

There are some long-term health factors that are worth thinking about when it comes to excessive drinking, while there are also some short-term effects that come with sinking a shot too many - namely, a banging head.

Official advice from the NHS advises men and women against drinking more than 14 units of alcohol in a week 'on a regular basis'.

For reference, a unit of alcohol equates to 10ml of pure alcohol, which is around half a pint of beer/cider or a single shot (25ml) measure of spirits.

As well as the summer months, music festival season is also upon us (Getty Stock Image)
As well as the summer months, music festival season is also upon us (Getty Stock Image)

The health body advises that if you do drink around 14 units a week, you should spread it over three days or more to try to avoid any major health risks.

Advert

But the reality is, even one heavy session could leave you with some after-effects.

We're not talking about hangovers either, but rather how long alcohol can linger in different parts of your body after your session is finished.

Clinical research scientist Anant Agarwal has post a video to subscribers explaining how long the substance can linger in the body for.

Explaining it all in a short YouTube video, he began: "First is your breath, it can stay in your breath for up to 24 hours - especially if you've been drinking excessively."

In all fairness, waking up the next morning with the taste of alcohol on your tongue might be up there with some of the worst experiences ever.

Advert

The scientist then warned you 'cannot cheat' a breathalyser after drinking, in what was a warning not to drink and drive.

He moved on, mentioning that alcohol also lingers in urine, claiming: "In urine, alcohol can last for up to 14 days, if you've been drinking excessively," though it should be noted that other health experts, such as those at Cleveland Clinic, estimate it to be up to four or five days.

Moving on to the 'biggest shocker', the scientist went on: "It can stay in your hair for up to 90 days."

The claim has been confirmed by several other medical professionals, with AlphaBiolabs, a leading UK laboratory that offers DNA, drug, and alcohol testing, confirming that 'alcohol hair testing' is a way to look into someone's drinking habits.

Advert

Alcohol can be detected in hair for anywhere between 90-180 days (Getty Stock Image)
Alcohol can be detected in hair for anywhere between 90-180 days (Getty Stock Image)

It explains that 90 percent of alcohol consumed is broken down in the liver, with the rest being passed out in sweat, urine and exhaled breath.

It is further explained on the website that the amount of time it is detectable in hair depends on the length of hair used for testing and when the alcohol was consumed.

However, it could be detected in a hair sample for up to six months, according to the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT).

Featured Image Credit: YouTube

Topics: Alcohol, Health, NHS, Science

Joshua Nair
Joshua Nair

Joshua Nair is a journalist at LADbible. Born in Malaysia and raised in Dubai, he has always been interested in writing about a range of subjects, from sports to trending pop culture news. After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a BA in Media, Journalism and Publishing, he got a job freelance writing for SPORTbible while working in marketing before landing a full-time role at LADbible. Unfortunately, he's unhealthily obsessed with Manchester United, which takes its toll on his mental and physical health. Daily.

X

@joshnair10

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

18 hours ago
20 hours ago
22 hours ago
  • 18 hours ago

    Airline once crashed a Boeing plane on purpose to find out what the safest seat was

    That's one very expensive experiment

    Lifestyle
  • 18 hours ago

    Cruise ship musician explains worst things about working on board despite huge hourly wage

    Musician Jack Nolan admitted that working on a cruise ship is 'not all it's cracked up to be'.

    Lifestyle
  • 20 hours ago

    New McDonald's menu with never-seen-before burger and returning 'fan favourite' comes in tomorrow

    It even comes with a brand new sauce

    Lifestyle
  • 22 hours ago

    Cruise regular shares reality of cruises at night that you probably wouldn't expect

    Maybe don't step out onto the deck at night

    Lifestyle
  • Doctor explains the different impact alcohol has on your body in your twenties compared to your thirties
  • Everything that happens to your body when you drink alcohol that shows ‘how bad’ it really is
  • How long it takes for brain to recover from drinking alcohol and timeline of reversing effects
  • Twins did same exercise routine for three months but for different lengths of time and got shocking results