The time required for ethanol to distribute between the systemic circulation and the rest of the body water results in an 'overshoot' of the blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) during the first 30 min after intravenous infusion. To investigate whether a similar distribution phenomenon occurs when ethanol is given by the oral route, we compared BACs after intravenous infusion and oral intake under strictly controlled conditions by giving a 0.4 g/kg dose of ethanol over 15 min to six fasting female volunteers. The results show an 'overshoot' in three volunteers who had the shortest time to BACmax, which indicates rapid absorption, and the time-course was similar to the distribution phase seen during the intravenous experiments. We conclude that BAC is sometimes higher than expected shortly after alcohol has been ingested rapidly. This finding can probably be explained by the fact that ethanol is distributed more slowly throughout the total body water than it is absorbed from the gut.