Unlike most food and drinks, alcohol does not need to be digested. This means that:

Because it does not have to be digested, alcohol enters a person's bloodstream quickly and reaches the brain within minutes. It gets eliminated from the body at a relatively slow rate: about one drink per hour.

• Within minutes of being consumed, the alcohol reaches the brain and begins to affect the drinker.
• The alcohol never gets removed from the body.
• It takes a long time to feel the effects of alcohol.
• Once it is in your system, your body gets rid of the alcohol quickly.