Can alcohol intake be detected in a blood test?
A blood alcohol test measures the amount of alcohol (ethanol) in your body. Alcohol is quickly absorbed into the blood and can be measured within minutes of having an alcoholic drink. The amount of alcohol in the blood reaches its highest level about an hour after drinking. But food in the stomach may increase the amount of time it takes for the blood alcohol to reach its highest level. It is now possible to assess people who have been drinking heavily or using alcohol regularly (defined as at least 60 grams of alcohol per day) on a routine basis for a minimum of two or three weeks. Another method of detection is to perform a Liver Function Test (LFT), which assesses the variation of liver produced proteins in the blood in conjunction with a Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin (CDT) test that looks at a specific biochemical marker for alcohol consumption.
