All foods and beverages that are consumed begin to enter the bloodstream in the small intestine, so naturally a full stomach will slow the rate at which alcohol reaches the blood. While this will make the effects of the alcohol more gradual, it also increases the time until the alcohol is effectively metabolized. Foods of high fatty content, or combinations of different types of food, like carbohydrates and protein, increase the time it takes for alcohol to leave the stomach and be absorbed. And, though the liver does most of the work metabolizing alcohol, the process does begin in the stomach with an enzyme called ADH. Women have less ADH activity in their stomachs, which means more of the alcohol reaches the bloodstream.