How to Conduct Drug or Alcohol Tests At Home
An alcohol or drug test is the examination of the blood, urine, breath, or saliva of a person to determine the presence of alcohol and/or illicit drugs.
Parents who are concerned about their teenagers abusing alcohol and drugs can use at-home drug and alcohol testing kits. The accuracy of home tests depends on what drug and alcohol testing kits are used and how they are used. To minimize false results, understanding the steps in conducting an accurate test is crucial.
Home drug tests have become a popular way for parents to test their teens for many reasons:
- To prevent a child from abusing drugs
- To confirm their suspicion about a child's use of alcohol or other drugs
- To monitor a child who has previously abused drugs and impose restrictions
Types of Drug and Alcohol Tests
- Saliva test
- Breath test
- Blood analysis
- Urine test
- Hair examination
These tests vary in accuracy and duration. Saliva, urine, and breath tests can provide instant results but are less accurate. Results from hair and blood tests are more accurate but they take longer to process and are done in a lab.
The reliability of a home drug and alcohol test depends on the type of testing kit that is used. Different kits have varying levels of accuracy. Urine testing kits such as InnoScreen and Eco II Cup have in-built temperature strip and specimen validity test to detect cheating or specimen adulteration. However, results from home drug and alcohol tests can be further examined in a lab to confirm their validity. A false-positive result in a home test may cause problems for the child and lead to even bigger issues such as the loss of trust between parent and child. This is why it is important to always use testing kits verified to Australian standards for your home drug and alcohol tests.
How to Do Drug and Alcohol Tests at Home
Step 1: Verify That the Drug and Alcohol Testing Kit Is Reliable
Before buying a home drug and alcohol testing kit, confirm that it is reliable and can detect the presence of alcohol or the drugs suspected of being used. Also, verify that the testing kit is certified to Australian standards. Make sure that it isn’t expired and does not have any issues that might cause inaccurate results.
Again, it is important to note that though a testing kit can detect prescription drugs and alcohol abuse, not all testing kits can tell you how much alcohol or drug was consumed. However, you can send a positive result to an authorised laboratory for further testing and detailed results.
Step 2: Follow the Instructions on How to Do the Test
It is critical to always follow the laid-out guides when conducting a drug and alcohol test. The slightest deviation from the instructions may result in a false positive or false negative test. Drugs and alcohol tests are time-sensitive and should be done without delays at the earliest opportunity.
Step 3: Supervise the Test to Prevent Cheating
The best way to prevent cheating in a drug and alcohol test is to make sure that the testing kit complies with Australian standards. With a certified testing kit, you can detect attempts to cheat the results from the test. Foiling attempts such as replacing urine with another substance or using urine collected at an earlier date can be detected. That said, you can supervise the child before and during the test to ensure he/she is following the recommended guideline.
Some of the ways a teenager may cheat during a urine test include drinking lots of water to dilute the urine before the test. They may also consume high doses of vitamins to alter the content of their urine or use chemicals in the bathroom like bleach. Another way is getting a clean urine sample from a friend to use as a substitute. Luckily, all these methods of cheating can be detected with a standard drug and alcohol testing kit.
Step 4: Ensure to Read the Results Correctly
Follow the instructions on how to verify the results to avoid misunderstanding. Reading a test outcome wrongly can create false positive and negative results. Make sure you read and understand the guidelines on the kit, so you can interpret test results accurately.
Step 5: Understanding False Positives in Home Drug Test
Your child may be telling the truth when he insists he hasn’t taken any drugs even when his result is positive.
A low percentage of drug tests produce false-positive results, explains Dwight Smith at the American Psychiatric Association. This can happen due to several reasons:
- Drinking lots of coffee or caffeinated soda
- Using common cold and antidepressant medications
- Inhaling the smoke coming from someone who is smoking weed
- Eating poppy seeds
- Using HIV medication such as Sustiva
Since home drug and alcohol tests may result in false-positive outcomes, make sure to do further testing at a licensed laboratory to confirm any positive test. Professional tests conducted by laboratories provide reliable results. These labs also have strict measures in place to prevent cheating and tampering during tests.
Drug and alcohol testing can help provide the opportunity to have sincere discussions about drug abuse with teenagers. It helps create an atmosphere of accountability that helps them to open up about certain addictions they might be secretly struggling with. It is the first step to take in ensuring a life free from drug abuse for teens and even parents as well.
Our Alcohol Kits Available for Testing
At Australia Drug Testing we provide the highest quality standard alcohol and drug testing kits that are simple to use, highly sensitive, fast, and reliable. Our products have the best-rated accuracy for onsite testing in the market. We offer robust test kits perfect for your home and industrial alcohol testing.
Alco-Screen Saliva Alcohol Test
This is a simple one-step saliva testing kit that can provide results for your alcohol tests in 2 minutes. It does not require calibration or special training to use. This kit has high drug sensitivity and can detect alcohol concentration in the blood from as low as .02% – .30%. The Alco-Screen Saliva Alcohol Test is non-invasive, convenient, and easy to use anywhere, anytime.
KY8300 Portable Breathalyser
Fast, accurate, one-button alcohol tester. These are the unique features that make the KY8300 Portable Breathalyzer an irresistible choice for an alcohol testing kit. To add to this, it has a memory function that can store up to 20,000 test results which can be downloaded for review anytime. This means you won’t have to worry about losing test results after a home test especially if you will be doing further tests at a laboratory after a positive home test result. The Breathalyser has a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor that provides accurate alcohol readings within five seconds of testing.
Alcolizer HH3 Alcohol Tester
This is a robust and reliable industrial-grade alcohol tester with USB data download capabilities. It is specifically designed for alcohol breath testing for small and medium-size industries committed to ensuring a safe workplace for their employees. The HH3 is top of the list when it comes to choosing a truly durable top-quality alcohol testing kit.
Contact Details
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Australia Drug Testing provides quality drug and alcohol test kits that are simple to use, highly sensitive, fast, and reliable. You should always use products that are certified to Australian Standards to avoid device malfunctions which could cause a false positive.Our testing kits are sourced from the best products in the market to match your various workplace needs:
- Alcohol test kits
- Urine drug test kits
- Saliva drug test kits