The durability of alcohol in different parts of the body is different and depends on the amount of alcohol consumed and the speed of the body’s metabolism. Alcohol has a short lifespan in the body. Once alcohol enters your bloodstream, your body begins to metabolize it at a rate of 20 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) per hour. This means that if your blood alcohol level is 40 mg/dL, it takes about two hours to metabolize the alcohol. The metabolism of alcohol in the body is such that when you consume alcohol, almost 80 percent of it enters the digestive system and then is transferred to the bloodstream, and the rest quickly enters the bloodstream and then the brain. Finally, it is the liver that is responsible for its elimination.