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What's the quickest way to sober up?

John Risby
By John Risby
Overhead view of a tabletop with an analog clock, a glass of water, and a bowl of fruit.


By getting only very slightly drunk.

Seriously, as has been said, there’s really nothing you can do to speed it up.

You get sober as your body processes the alcohol.

The average liver processes 1 unit of alcohol (1 unit, not one drink) per hour. As an example a pint of 5.2% beer is about 3 units.

How quickly your body processes alcohol can vary based on a few factors (weight, gender, if you are taking medication, how fast your metabolism works in general etc) but 1 unit per hour is roughly correct.

So 12 units of alcohol would take 12 hours to leave your body.

Sorry.



How much did you learn from this article?

Welcome to the sobering world of alcohol processing. Today, we will explore what quickens the sobering process after consuming alcohol. Don't worry, this isn't a test on biology, just a fun quiz on alcohol processing in the human body based on the article you've just read. Ready to dive in? Let's get started!

Article details

Published
May 4, 2019
Last updated
March 24, 2026
John Risby

About The Author

John Risby

Co-Founder of The Alcohol-Free Shop and AlcoholFree.com. John is a recovering alcoholic who stopped drinking in June 2004. Born and raised in Manchester, he now lives in Malaga with his wife and young daughter. He came to terms with being an alcoholic many years ago, but still finds the concept his daughter is Spanish very strange.