Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

How can you be sober yet read .22 on a breathalyzer at 9am but no drink since 1am?

My friend drank during the day and night on Monday. He has cirrhosis. He quit drinking at 12 or 1am. At 9am, he registered .22 BAC on a home breathalyzer that has been very dependable, felt very I'll, but did not feel drunk and was NOT drunk and showed no signs of intoxication whatsoever, which means it was probably .30 when he went to bed because it would have gone down during the night. I desperately need an explanation for this so I can help him. He has been in bed, severely nauseated, tired, weak, and hurting for 5 days. How can you test .22 on BAC and be completely sober? If he isnt intoxicated, then he could keep drinking and die, right? I cannot find anything on the internet about this except autobrewery syndrome but he drank the night before and autobrewery says you feel and appear to be intoxicated. This has happened several times but he would test at .06 or .08 in the morning. I have tested him when he is drunker than cooter brown and he has never ever tested over .16. In desperate need of help for an explanation so maybe it will prompt him to go to doctor. The machine works just fine and I'm 100% certain he was in no way drunk at all.  His blood alcohol level did not get back to 0 until 1am...about 24 hours before he went to bed the night before.
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
683231 tn?1467323017
“ How quickly a person metabolizes alcohol depends on:

sex (male or female)
weight
age
metabolism speed
how much food eaten
type of alcohol
how quickly alcohol was consumed
if there are other substances involved
liver problems
On average the body can eliminate 0.015% BAC per hour, so depending on the person and type of alcohol, they may have a BAC of 0.02% – 0.03% at a rate of 1 drink per hour. That means, the body can take 1 – 2 hours to metabolize the alcohol consumed in that hour. If you have two glasses of wine with dinner, it could take up to 6 hours for you to fully break down the alcohol, depending on the variables listed above.  

For a person with alcoholism who may consume closer to 10 glasses of wine (about 2 bottles) in a day or binge, it could take up to 15 hours or more for the body to fully metabolize and eliminate the alcohol consumed from the bloodstream. That means the person binge drinking 2 bottles of wine will not start to be “sober” until 15 hours after drinking.  

HOW LONG DOES ALCOHOL STAY IN THE SYSTEM?

Even after the effects of alcohol wear off, it can remain in the body for long periods of time. Depending on the body system, alcohol can last different lengths of time. For example, alcohol is traceable in the saliva and breath for up to 24 hours after drinking, while it can be detected in the blood stream for up to 12 hours and in urine for up to five days, depending on the test used. Most surprising of all, alcohol can be found in hair strands for as long as 90 days after the last drink.”

https://dreamliferecovery.com/how-long-does-it-take-for-alcohol-to-leave-your-system/
Helpful - 0
683231 tn?1467323017
He may have a big tolerance to alcohol if he is a chronic drinker.

If he had a high enough alcohol contact it can take many more than  8 hours to completely eliminate alcohol from his system. Also as his liver is already damaged it will take his body that much longer to eliminate alcohol from his blood stream as his liver is not fully functioning and able to do its job.

That being said he has liver cirrhosis and if he wants to live he needs to stop ALL alcohol consumption. If he doesn’t stop drinking immediately he is slowly killing himself. He will continue to destroy his liver and could possibly develop liver cancer. If he does not stop drinking when he goes into liver failure or develops liver cancer he will not be eligible for the a liver transplant.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Cirrhosis of the Liver Community

Top Hepatitis Answerers
317787 tn?1473358451
DC
683231 tn?1467323017
Auburn, WA
Avatar universal
Ro, Romania
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.