How long a high lasts depends almost entirely on what substance produced it. A cannabis high from smoking typically lasts 2 to 3 hours, while an edible can stretch to 10 hours. Alcohol clears at roughly one drink per hour. Psychedelics can keep you altered for 6 to 12 hours depending on the substance. Below is a practical breakdown of the most commonly searched substances, what affects the timeline, and what the comedown looks like.
Cannabis: Smoked vs. Edibles
When cannabis is smoked or vaped, the high kicks in within minutes and generally lasts 2 to 3 hours. The peak hits in the first 30 to 60 minutes, then tapers gradually. Most people feel essentially back to normal within 4 hours of their last inhale, though mild grogginess can linger.
Edibles are a different story. Because the active compound has to pass through your digestive system and liver before reaching your brain, the onset is delayed by 1 to 2 hours. This is why people frequently eat a second dose too soon, thinking the first didn’t work. Once it arrives, the high can persist for 6 to 10 hours, with the peak somewhere around hours 2 through 4. Most people feel normal by the next day, but the sheer length of the experience catches first-timers off guard.
Concentrates (dabs, wax) tend to produce a more intense but similarly timed high to smoking flower, usually 1 to 3 hours. The intensity makes it feel longer than it is.
Alcohol
Your liver processes alcohol at a steady rate of about one standard drink per hour. A standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor. If you have three drinks over one hour, it takes roughly three hours for your body to clear all of it. Nothing speeds this up: not coffee, not food, not a cold shower. Time is the only thing that removes alcohol from your system.
The “buzz” from a single drink peaks within about 30 to 45 minutes on an empty stomach and fades as your liver catches up. Drinking faster than one per hour is what causes blood alcohol to climb and the feeling of intoxication to build. The more you overshoot your liver’s pace, the longer you’ll feel the effects and the worse the next morning will be.
Psilocybin Mushrooms
A mushroom trip typically lasts about 6 hours from start to finish. Effects begin 20 to 40 minutes after eating them, with the most intense period falling between hours 1 and 3. By hour 5 or 6, most of the perceptual changes have faded, though you may feel emotionally sensitive or reflective for several hours afterward. Eating mushrooms on an empty stomach tends to speed up the onset but doesn’t meaningfully change the total duration.
LSD
LSD lasts significantly longer than mushrooms. A full trip can continue for 10 hours, sometimes up to 12. The onset is 20 to 60 minutes, and the peak occupies roughly hours 2 through 5. Even once the most intense visuals and thought patterns subside, a residual stimulated feeling often stretches into hour 10 or beyond. Sleep is usually difficult until the experience fully winds down, so many people lose a full night when they dose in the evening.
MDMA
MDMA’s effects begin about 45 minutes after taking a dose, then peak within 15 to 30 minutes of onset. The primary high, characterized by heightened energy and emotional openness, lasts an average of 3 hours. Including the gradual fadeout, most people feel noticeably altered for 4 to 5 hours total. The comedown from MDMA is notably rougher than most substances, often producing low mood, fatigue, and irritability that can persist for 2 to 3 days as brain chemistry rebalances.
What Makes a High Shorter or Longer
The same substance can hit two people very differently. Several factors shift the timeline:
- Tolerance. Regular use makes you need more of a substance to get the same effect. With higher tolerance, the high often feels weaker and may seem to fade faster, even though the substance is still being processed at the same rate.
- Liver function. Your liver does most of the work breaking down psychoactive substances. People with liver conditions process drugs more slowly, meaning effects last longer and hit harder. Older adults also metabolize many substances more slowly than younger adults, leading to prolonged effects. Newborns and very young children have immature liver enzymes and metabolize drugs poorly, which is why accidental ingestion in children is so dangerous.
- Genetics. Your DNA determines how much of certain liver enzymes you produce. Some people are naturally fast metabolizers and burn through a substance quickly. Others are slow metabolizers who experience longer, more intense effects from the same dose. These genetic differences can be substantial.
- Body composition. A larger body generally dilutes a substance more, potentially softening the peak. But fat-soluble compounds like THC can accumulate in body fat and release slowly, which is why heavy cannabis users sometimes report feeling foggy for days after stopping.
- Food and hydration. Eating before drinking alcohol or taking an oral drug slows absorption, which can delay the onset and spread the effects over a longer window. An empty stomach does the opposite: faster onset, sharper peak, sometimes shorter total duration.
- Other substances. Mixing drugs can dramatically alter the timeline. Some combinations cause one substance to inhibit the liver enzymes that break down the other, leading to unexpectedly prolonged or intensified effects.
The Comedown Period
The high itself is only part of the picture. Most substances produce a comedown, or recovery phase, that outlasts the intoxication. For stimulants and MDMA, this comedown typically lasts 2 to 3 days and can include fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and low mood. Cannabis comedowns are milder for most people, often just slight grogginess or mental fog the following day. Psychedelics don’t usually produce a harsh comedown, but many users report feeling emotionally drained or unusually introspective for a day or two.
Alcohol’s comedown, the hangover, peaks the morning after and usually resolves within 24 hours, though heavy drinking can leave you feeling off for up to 72 hours. The comedown isn’t just “wearing off.” It reflects your body actively recalibrating after the substance disrupted its normal chemistry, and it’s a real part of the total experience worth factoring into your timeline.