How Sensitive Are Drug Urine Tests To
Alcohol
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As long as employers lose relatively large
amounts of money and "person-hours" to alcohol abuse, they
will continue to utilize random alcohol
tests.
If you drink alcohol and you work for a
company, institution, or for an organization that has random
urine alcohol testing, it makes sense that you would ask the
following: "how sensitive are drug urine tests to
alcohol"? Please continue reading for the answer to
this and other urine alcohol testing questions.
The Major Characteristics of Urine
Alcohol Tests
Urine Alcohol
Tests have the following characteristics:
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They are the least expensive of the alcohol testing
methods.
-
They can be used at home, for instance, by parents,
though lab verification is required for accurate
results.
-
They are considered an intrusive method of testing.
-
They can be affected by abstaining from drinking
for a period of time before the test.
-
They detect alcohol ingestion mainly within the
past week, or longer with regular drinking.
-
They are often temperature tested to assure sample
integrity.
-
They indicate the presence of alcohol in a person's
system, but it takes up to 2 hours for the alcohol
to show up in urine.
Urine Alcohol Tests Pros
-
They have a high assurance of reliable results.
-
They are relatively inexpensive.
-
They provide the most flexibility in testing
different drugs, including alcohol and nicotine.
-
They are the most likely of all drug-testing
methods to withstand legal challenge.
Urine Alcohol Tests Cons
-
 The specimen can be adulterated,
substituted, or diluted.
-
They have a limited window of detection (typically
1 to 5 days).
-
They are considered as invasive or embarrassing
form of testing.
-
They present a biological hazard when the specimens
are handled and shipped to the lab.
-
They indicate the presence of alcohol in a person's
system, but it takes up to 2 hours for the alcohol
to show up in urine.
-
A positive urine test does not necessarily mean the
person was under the influence of alcohol at the
time of the test. Rather, it detects and measures
the use of alcohol within the previous few days.
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The overriding
plan of action when experiencing a possible
alcohol overdose situation is this: Do not
take chances when someone's life is at
stake. If you suspect that a person has
alcohol poisoning or is overdosing on
alcohol, get immediate medical assistance,
even if the person is underage.
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As far as passing alcohol urinalysis tests is
concerned, as mentioned above, the specimen can be
adulterated, substituted, or diluted.
Not only this, but a positive urine test does
not necessarily mean that the person was under the influence of
alcohol at the time of the test. Rather, it detects and
measures the use of alcohol within the previous two or three
days.
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Heavy drinking
can increase the risk for certain cancers,
especially those of the throat, voice box
(larynx), liver, and esophagus. Excessive
drinking can also cause immune system
problems, brain damage, harm to the fetus
during pregnancy, and cirrhosis of the
liver.
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If, for instance, the person has a alcohol
urinalysis test on a Monday morning, a positive test would show
that this person had alcohol within the past few days. If
this person works a typical work week (i.e., Monday through
Friday), this would indicate that the person ingested alcohol
on Friday night, Saturday, or Sunday when he or she was not at
work. Such a scenario has little, if anything, to do with
passing or failing the alcohol urinalysis test that was
administered.
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Recent research
demonstrates that it is important to treat
every person who is experiencing alcohol
withdrawal. It can be pointed out, however,
that approximately 95% of the people who
quit drinking alcohol suffer from mild to
moderate withdrawal symptoms and can
normally be treated on an outpatient basis
by a healthcare professional. The remaining
5% of people who experience withdrawal
symptoms, however, suffer symptoms so severe
that they must be treated in a hospital or
in an alcohol rehabilitation facility that
specializes in detoxification.
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How Sensitive Are Drug Urine Tests To
Alcohol: Conclusion
As long as companies and organizations lose
substantial amounts of money and "person-hours" to alcohol
abuse, they will continue to employ random alcohol tests.
If you drink alcohol and you work for an
employer that has initiated random urine alcohol testing as
part of their drug and alcohol screening procedure, it is
likely that you will be asking the following question:
"how sensitive are drug urine tests to
alcohol"?
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Codependency is a pattern of habitual
self-defeating coping mechanisms. Codependency
is typically a result of living in a house with
someone who suffers from alcoholism or drug
addiction. In these dysfunctional homes, there
are three messages that are not explicitly
stated but nevertheless, reinforced everyday by
unhealthy actions, behaviors, and beliefs.
These three messages are: don't trust, don’t
talk, and don't feel.
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