A healthy individual may experience the effects of alcohol within 15 to 45 minutes after the intake. Alcohol traces may show up in your urine for nearly 12 to 24 hours after the last consumption. It may vary based on various factors that include age, weight, gender, amount of intake, usage frequency, time taken by the body to process alcohol, etc. Alcohol is generally a central nervous system depressant that has a short life span in the body. Once the drug enters the body, it gets metabolized at the rate of 20 mg/dL per hour. Even though alcohol stays in urine for a shorter period of time, the urine drug tests can detect the traces of alcohol usage days after the effect has worn off. What Happens When You Consume Alcohol? Once you consume alcohol, it gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream immediately after it reaches the stomach. A significant portion of alcohol gets absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract through the tissue lining of the stomach and small ...