Can You Sweat Out Alcohol Through Intense Exercise?

Exercise increases the rate of metabolism in the body, which means alcohol is absorbed more rapidly.

Exercise does not have a huge effect but it can speed up the body's average speed to break down roughly one unit of alcohol per hour.

Can you sweat out alcohol?
Technically you cannot actually "sweat out" alcohol, it's broken down in the liver.

The amount of metabolising enzymes in the liver has a greater effect on breaking down alcohol than exercise does. However, exercise does increase body temperature, which in turn increases enzyme activity in the liver.

• Exercise can increase the productivity of liver enzymes.
• Exercise accelerates breathing rates, which increases the flow of alcohol across the lung membranes. This means more alcohol is breathed out of the body.
• However, high-intensity exercise may not have a great effect on breaking down alcohol, especially if you're not in shape! It may also make the hangover feel much worse. Light exercise on the other hand does help the breakdown of alcohol in the body.

Although you cannot actually "sweat out" alcohol, exercise does have an impact on alcohol breakdown. It increases the activity of important liver enzymes and increases breathing rates, both of which are essential in expelling alcohol from the system.