Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How long after drinking can you detect alcohol with an alcohol tester?

A. It depends on how much the person had to drink, and how long ago they drank. Our bodies eliminate alcohol at the constant rate of about one drink an hour. (More precisely, our bodies lower our alcohol level by .015% BAC per hour.) If a person’s intoxication level is about .02%, about one hour later their alcohol level would be zero. On the other hand, if a person had an alcohol level of .20%, twice the legal limit for drunk driving in most states, it would take over 13 hours for their alcohol level to reach zero after they stopped drinking. Once the alcohol level is zero, no alcohol test can detect the alcohol.

Q. If my son has a beer Saturday evening, will I be able to detect it Sunday morning?

A. No. The one beer will be eliminated from the body about one hour after drinking it. There will be no trace of alcohol the next day.

Q. What if my son has six beers Saturday evening? Will I be to detect alcohol Sunday morning?

A. It depends on what time he stopped drinking, and how long it took to drink those six beers. If he drank them quickly at midnight, he could produce a maximum intoxication level of about .12% BAC. It would take about eight hours for his alcohol level to go back to zero. His alcohol level would be down to zero by about 8:00 am.

If your son drank those six beers over the course of the evening, starting at 7:00 and ending at 12:00, his maximum intoxication would be about .05% BAC. His alcohol level would be down to zero by about 4:00 am.

Q. What if my son drank 12 beers last night, with the last one at midnight?

A. 12 beers can produce an intoxication level up to .20, depending on how fast they were consumed and body size. He could continue to have an alcohol level until about 2:00 p.m. the next afternoon.

Q. Will mouthwash interfere with the results of a breath alcohol test?

A. Yes. Proper test procedure requires that the subject have nothing in their mouth for 10 to 15 minutes prior to testing. If the subject has anything with alcohol in their mouth just prior to testing, the alcohol in their mouth will contaminate the test, giving an artificially high reading. However, 15 minutes is sufficient time for all mouth alcohol to be dissipated.

Q. Are there ways to fool an alcohol test?

A. A properly administered alcohol test is difficult to fool. As long as the subject delivers an adequate deep lung breath, or gives a sufficient saliva sample, there is virtually no way to mask the alcohol. If the person claims their positive alcohol test is the result of using mouthwash just prior to being tested, give the person another alcohol test in 15 minutes. A second positive breath alcohol test after 15 minutes cannot be attributed to mouthwash or cough syrup.

Q. Are there ways to fool a drug test?

A. It is a little easier to fool a drug test than an alcohol test. Proper test procedure should eliminate the possibilities of a subject switching their urine specimen with another, or tampering with the specimen. Drinking large volumes of water will dilute the urine, thereby reducing the concentration of drugs in the urine. The detection of some drugs, such as amphetamines, is affected by the pH of the urine with some kinds of methodologies.

Q. Is the DrugFree @ Home drug test kit accurate?

A. Yes. The instant kit does an excellent job of determining which specimens are negative, and which specimens need further analysis using GC/MS laboratory testing. The GC/MS laboratory analysis is the gold standard for drug testing. There is no better laboratory technology. You can be certain that if the laboratory reports the presence of drugs in a specimen, that drugs truly are present.

Q. Is the DrugFree @ Home kit cleared for sale by the FDA?

A. Yes. The DrugFree @ Home kit is one of very few drug testing kits that have received FDA Over-the-Counter clearance for sale to the public. FDA regulations require Over-the-Counter clearance for any drug testing kit to be sold directly to consumers.

Q. Does the FDA approve drug testing kits?

A. Technically, the FDA "clears" drug testing kits for sale to specific markets. The FDA requires manufacturers to show that their drug test kit meets standards established by the FDA before they may sell them.

Q. Is there more than one kind of FDA clearance?

A. Yes. FDA requires one type of clearance for kits sold for professional diagnostic use, and another type of clearance (Over-the-Counter, or OTC) for kits sold directly to consumers. FDA regulations prohibit the sale of "professional use" kits directly to consumers.

Q. How long after ingesting drugs can the drug use be detected with a urine drug test? How soon after using drugs can a urine drug test detect the drug?

A. Drug Detection Time depends on the drug used and the amount of drug used. The outer limit of detection for the commonly abused drugs is anywhere from two days for some barbiturates, to over a month for heavy, chronic marijuana use. The soonest that drugs can be detected also depends on the specific drug. Amphetamines and cocaine, for example, may be detected less than an hour after ingestion.

The retention times below are only general guidelines. Physical condition, fluid intake, and method and frequency of drug ingestion all influence the time drugs stay in the body.

Drug Retention Times
Amphetamines 1 - 3 days
Barbiturates 1 day to three weeks
Benzodiazepines 1 - 14 days
Cocaine 2 - 4 days
Opiates 2 days
Marijuana Moderate (4 x week) 5 days or more
Heavy, Chronic smoker 20 days or more

Q. Is there an easy-to-use breath or saliva test available for drugs?

A. There is no breath test for drugs. Several manufacturers have developed saliva drug testing kits. Currently, however, none of the saliva drug test kits have FDA Over-the Counter clearance for sale to consumers. These saliva drug test kits may be used by employers and corrections programs.

Q. Will exposure to passive marijuana smoke result in a positive marijuana test?

A. Perhaps the most common excuse for a positive marijuana test is, "I was around some people who were smoking pot." Research has shown, however, that casual exposure to marijuana smoke will not produce a positive test. A person really has to work at being exposed to "passive" smoke to create a positive test. Very close confinement, without ventilation, with several smokers, for a period of over an hour, may result in a low, but measurable amount of marijuana. This demonstrates that even though the person may not have directly inhaled the smoke from a marijuana cigarette, they inhaled enough second hand smoke to get high. In our opinion, if a person tests positive for marijuana, the issue of whether they smoked the marijuana directly, or whether from intense and prolonged exposure to second hand marijuana smoke is irrelevant.

Q. Will eating poppy seeds on a roll or in bread result in positive opiate test?

A. New confirmation procedures now in use are able to discern between drugs such as heroin, and poppy seeds. With the new testing procedures there is no possibility that poppy seeds can cause a positive test.

Q: Can you explain what do you mean by physical and psycological storms in adolescents. This was said in one of your responses. I have an adolescent that is driving me crazy. I have been told that that the behaviour in some adolescents has a similiarity to temporary insanity. And honestly I am believing it because of my adolescent's behaviour.

A. Adolescence is a time when children are rapidly becoming adults. They have some characteristics still of childhood and some characteristics of their impending adulthood. They are beginning to move more away from their families and turn more towards the world outside. In addition, their bodies are changing at a fairly rapid pace and various hormones, sexual and others, are coursing through their system. Some adolescents are able to manage with only minor difficulties, while others have a great deal of trouble. The degree of difficulty they have seems to be related to their prior relationships within their families and the speed and intensity of the hormones and other physical changes which are occurring in their bodies. Children within the same family may have markedly different reactions to adolescence because of differences in their personality, relationships within and outside the home and their own physical/hormonal makeup. Both teenagers who have been overly close with their parents during childhood, as well as those who have been more estranged, may have more difficulty with this transition. However, some do fairly well regardless of their family situations.

It is extremely helpful for a teenager to have a trusted adult with whom he/she can confide in and turn to in times of anxiety or trouble. This person may be the parent, but for various reasons, may be someone in the extended family or outside of the family. It is not unusual for a parent to feel hurt and angry that their budding teenager is not turning to them to confide in, but what is important is that the teenager have some stable, mature adult they can rely on, whether it be a teacher, neighbor, minister, youth leader, or relative who is older and more mature. Occasionally, an older sibling can fill this role. As time goes on and the teenager become more accustomed to their changed body and their hormones start to stabilize, they tend to calm down, both in their feelings and behavior. It is as if they have "grown into" their new bodies and selves.

So, cut your teenager a little slack in those areas which are not ultimately important, keep your cool and hang on. Most of them come out of it and go on to be mature, responsible adults.