Alcohol metabolism and why a few drinks linger longer than you think Your body processes >90% of ethanol in the liver, but the path creates toxic byproducts and drains key cofactors. 1 The science behind hangovers The site of detoxification in your body is located in your liver. Everything that you ingest is broken down in your digestive system to become small enough Studies on the reaction of glutathione and formaldehyde using NMR Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry (RSC Publishing) DOI:10.1039 C0OB00208A Pathophysiological Aspects of Alcohol Metabolism in the Liver