If you have been drinking 1 beer for an hour,does it still take an hour to leve your system?

Question

It takes an hour for a beer to leave your system, that is what I was told, but if you drink 1 beer for an hour how long does it take

Answer 1

Uh, let's see . . . 1 beer. One hour! Uh, gee I dunno. (Is this a trick question?)

HOW ABOUT ONE HOUR!

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Answer 2

There is actually significant variance in the actual metabolism of alcohol.  First of all, it takes about 30 to 45 minutes for blood alcohol content to peak after consuming a standard drink at one time, and it takes more time than this for the alcohol to be metabolized.  After eating food, especially fats, the alcohol can be absorbed up to three times more slowly than when consumed on an empty stomach.  This lengthening of the time in the stomach can slightly reduce the overall amount of alcohol absorbed as some alcohol can be metabolized in the stomach.  

Moreover, heavier men will have a lower BAC for the same consumption of alohol compared to lighter women (which is attributed to the concentration of enzymes in the stomach and a higher water content for women).  Furthermore, the factor of drinking the beer over an extended period of time will result in a reduced peak BAC as well.  

All in all, the rate that your BAC is metabolized stays relatively constant, so the actual level and timing of the peak will really make the biggest difference (mostly affected by the quantity you drink).  In general, I'd lean closer to 1.5-2 hours for the true metabolism of a single drink, and it would probably stay in this range for your case.  As another tip, fructose has been shown to significantly increase the rate of metabolism of alcohol, so if you're looking to sober up quickly, start eating something with some high-fructose corn syrup (in which case fructose should be 50% of the sugar).