Final answer:
The body typically eliminates alcohol at a rate of 3.3 mmol/L (15 mg/dL) per hour, with the liver metabolizing the majority of the consumed alcohol. The metabolism rate can slightly vary by individual factors such as gender and body size. After drinking stops, it takes several hours for a person to reach sobriety, largely depending on the blood alcohol concentration and individual metabolism rates.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the text, the body usually gets rid of alcohol at the rate of about 3.3 mmol/L (15 mg/dL) per hour. This rate of alcohol metabolism is consistent for an average individual, although it can vary by 25-30%.
It is important to understand that the liver plays a central role in this process, metabolizing up to 85%-98% of the ethanol in circulation.
However, factors such as gender, body size, and the amount of alcohol dehydrogenase in the liver can influence individual rates, with women metabolizing alcohol a bit more slowly than men.
Consuming more alcohol does not increase the rate of metabolism, as it is limited by the amount of enzyme present in the liver. Notably, caffeine in beverages like coffee does not catalyze the oxidation of ethanol.
Alcohol intoxication is typically marked by a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) that exceeds legal intoxication levels, which usually starts at a BAC of 0.08.
For a legally intoxicated person, it would take at least five hours to achieve sobriety after alcohol consumption ceases, considering the metabolization and excretion rates.