Surgeon whose son died in drink driving accident explains how long it really takes to break down alcohol

Now that the festive season is drawing to a close, a lot of us will be challenging ourselves with Dry January - to give our bodies a much-needed alcohol detox.

But if you've ever wondered exactly how long it takes the body to break down alcohol, wonder no more, as a surgeon has provided the answer. This is shocking:

Dr Brian Hoeflinger, 58, a neurosurgeon from Ohio, has more reason than most to care about the subject too, as he tragically lost his son to a drink driving accident.

Taking to TikTok to share his expertise, he began by mimicking a scene we've all likely seen before - a party where 'a lot of drinks are going down.'

"Say you're having five drinks in the first hour," he explained before taking five shots of water to mimic the alcohol someone might consume during a game of beer pong.

"[Booze] goes to your brain within five minutes and starts to affect you, but maybe what you don't know is your liver only metabolises one ounce of alcohol per hour."

The doctor's assertion is supported by Northwestern Medicine, who reported that your body can process one standard drink an hour.

"I've got five ounces of liquor in my system right now, and at the end of the hour I'm only going to burn off an ounce, so I'm going to have [four] ounces of alcohol left in my bloodstream," the doctor continued.

He then explained that if a person was to have a few more drinks at the party, things would quickly be adding up, even if it was rounded off by a modest single shot for the journey home.

"Now I'm up to nine ounces of alcohol in my bloodstream over three hours, and my liver's only metabolised three ounces of that," he said. "I have six ounces of liquor left in my bloodstream."

TikTok / @doctorhoeflinger

"You're going to be drunk into the wee hours of the morning. It doesn't wear off," the doctor said. "Alcohol can stack up in your system really easily when you're drunk and you won't know it, and it won't wear off for hours and hours down the road."

He then warned TikTok users that this is exactly why they shouldn't drink and drive.

"So don't get into a car. Don't drink and drive. Take an Uber. Take a Lyft. I mean, it's the worst thing you could do, drink and drive. You could hurt or kill yourself or more importantly kill someone else," he concluded. "It's just not worth it."

Thankfully, his message went far from unnoticed on the social media website, and at the time of writing, his video has been viewed over 16 million times.

Viewers were quick to praise him for sharing such an important message.

One praised: "Thank you. This is the first time I have ever had anyone explain this in this way. I am forwarding this to my son."

A second agreed, adding: "Thank you! Definitely sharing this with both my children of drinking age."

"Thank you for sharing this and educating us," wrote a third. "I'm so sorry about your son but you are helping us make better decisions."