HalfLifeDBEvidence before certainty.

Alcohol evidence profile

Ethanol commonly shows capacity-limited, near zero-order elimination across familiar concentration ranges.

Category: depressant · Updated: August 7, 2026

Sources and model notes are maintained by . This page is educational, not clinical guidance. Corrections: admin@halflifedb.co.

Model statusNo curve publishedCurrent sources do not support one defensible human input
Evidence boundarySource note onlyNo animal, forensic, mixture, or proxy value is presented as a human half-life
Model scopeNot modeledThe profile explains what the available records can and cannot establish
References3Linked studies, labels, reviews, or identity records described below

Alcohol: evidence and interpretation notes

Why HalfLifeDB does not plot Alcohol

Ethanol commonly shows capacity-limited, near zero-order elimination across familiar concentration ranges. A first-order half-life chart would therefore impose the wrong mathematical behavior on the central question visitors bring to an alcohol page.

The selected 2.5 hour value gives readers a way to visualize repeated halving, but ethanol metabolism is strongly shaped by alcohol dehydrogenase activity, amount consumed, sex, food, liver function, and sampling context.

The citations point to clinical pharmacokinetic and metabolism reviews plus the compound record, which are better context than a generic search page for such a broad term.

Do not use this page to estimate sobriety, driving fitness, workplace compliance, or medical risk.

What each source contributes

  • Wilkinson PK. Clinical pharmacokinetics of ethanol (1987). This human pharmacokinetic record adds measured route, analyte, and population context and does not become a universal result.
  • Cederbaum AI. Alcohol metabolism (2012). This metabolism study identifies pathways, metabolites, or analytical targets and does not by itself create a complete human concentration-time curve.
  • PubChem: Ethanol. This identity record confirms names and compound identity and does not supply a human half-life.

For Alcohol, the decision to withhold a curve turns on the limits visible in Wilkinson PK. Clinical pharmacokinetics of ethanol (1987). This human pharmacokinetic record adds measured route, analyte, and population context, but it does not become a universal result.

What evidence would change the page

The next useful evidence for Alcohol would be a direct human pharmacokinetic study with a defined exposure context and sufficient late sampling. Without that, converting Wilkinson PK. Clinical pharmacokinetics of ethanol (1987) into a first-order midpoint would overstate what its design can support.

InterpretationCategory context and evidence limits

depressant context

Depressant entries can be pharmacokinetically short while still raising practical interpretation questions about sedation, coordination, and combinations.

  • Half-life is not a safe-activity or impairment clock.
  • Repeated exposure and combinations are not modeled.
  • Clinical or emergency concerns should not be handled with a calculator.
EvidenceSource trail and model decision

Sources and evidence context

A linked record is not automatically proof of the displayed value. Study, labeling, review, and compound identity sources serve different purposes; notes below identify limitations when they are known.

2 PubMed0 PMC0 DailyMed1 PubChem
  1. Research abstract Wilkinson PK. Clinical pharmacokinetics of ethanol (1987).
    Direct pharmacokinetic context. Population, route, formulation, analyte, and sampling duration still determine how broadly the result can be applied.
  2. Research abstract Cederbaum AI. Alcohol metabolism (2012).
    Metabolism-focused evidence used to identify pathways or analytes. It does not automatically establish a population half-life.
  3. Identity record PubChem Compound Summary: Ethanol.
    Compound identity and naming record. It supplies chemistry context, not independent numerical support for the model.
BoundariesWhat this page cannot answer and where to continue

What this page does not answer

  • It does not estimate impairment, intoxication, or fitness to drive.
  • It does not predict urine, blood, saliva, or hair test results.
  • It does not model repeated exposure, tolerance, withdrawal, or interactions.
  • It does not replace clinician, pharmacist, toxicologist, or emergency guidance.

Continue with context

Read the medical disclaimer, methodology, and research standards before using the model for comparison.